The Blue Diamond
by Love Ink
Summary: Set before TFATF. When Michaela left Las Vegas to visit her brother, Vince, in LA, she never expected to find him there. Will he believe her when she tells him why he had to leave? Will he be able to convince her to stay? Better than it sounds, I swear!
1. Cleaning Shop

Hey everyone! This is my new story…obviously! : ) I will get back to "**Between Inked Lines**" soon! I'm kind of stuck on it since there is so much I want to do with those characters! Ugh! But this story came into my head one day and I thought, why not post it? So here it is…I have a ton more of this story written so let me know if I should post it…

Love you guys,

Love Ink

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Michaela

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**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 1: Cleaning Shop_

by LoveInk

Leon was amazed when he knocked on Vince's door and found him vacuuming the living room. Vince's usually messy house was immaculate; the tile floor in the hallways didn't have the large boot prints Vince usually tracked through it. "Don't let Mia catch you doing that," Leon said nodding his head toward the vacuum. "She'll make you come over and do our place too."

Vince chuckled and shook his head. "What do you need, Lee?"

He shrugged as he threw himself on Vince's black leather couch. "No one's home and I was bored. Figured I'd see what you were up to. I have to admit, I would've never guessed vacuuming."

"Yeah, well, my baby sister is coming over to visit," Vince explained as he wound up the cord.

"You have a sister?"

"Yeah. She lives in Vegas." Vince didn't divulge any more information, and Leon didn't dare ask. It was an unspoken rule between the members of the team; if you didn't want to talk about your past, don't ask the others about theirs. "She has a few weeks off, so I told her to come visit me. I'm trying to convince her to move down here. I don't like the thought of her alone in Sin City."

Leon smirked. He had lived in Las Vegas for awhile before moving to LA with Jesse. It was a fun place but hot as hell in the summer and dirtier than LA. "It ain't that bad."

"Don't give me that shit, Lee. A single girl living alone in Vegas, that's trouble. Not to mention the fact she's a chorus girl for some show there. She hangs out with all those wannabe rock stars."

"A chorus girl, huh? Is that a code name for stripper?"

Vince glared at him. "My sister is not a stripper. She dances for some show."

"Like a stripper," Leon repeated.

The look on Vince's face made it clear to Leon the other man had never thought it through very thoroughly. "Would you get out of my house?"

He chuckled and stood from the couch. "Yeah. I'll see you and the stripper at the barbeque." Vince threw a pillow at him which he caught easily and tossed back on the couch.

"Shut the fuck up, asshole," Vince yelled just as Leon was closing the door.

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Leon was washing his car when he saw the dark blue almost black Corvette pull into Vince's driveway. He watched as two empty silver high-heeled sandals were tossed to the ground and two tan bare feet slipped into them. Whoever was in the car, had been driving barefoot. The girl got out of the car, her long tan legs seemingly went on forever before they were covered by her Daisy Duke style cut offs. A purple beater clung tightly to her flat stomach and curvy chest. He watched as she pulled the elastic out of her dark hair and ran her fingers through the wavy strands. One corner of her full lips turned up in a sexy smirk as she looked at him. Or at least, he thought she was looking at him. He couldn't be sure since her eyes were covered with her classic Ray-ban wayfarers. She sauntered to Vince's door and slipped inside without bothering to knock. Leon let out a low whistle, Vince's sister was trouble.

Michaela entered the house slowly in the hope of surprising her brother. While she walked around her childhood home, her thoughts drifted back to the Greek God who had been shirtless in the Toretto's driveway. He had looked so familiar washing the car that was the same color as the old Studebaker she had in Vegas. Shaking her head, she decided that she was crazy. There was no way she could've known him; he was obviously one of the new guys Vince had mentioned. In any case, he was certainly someone she needed her brother to introduce her to, wherever her brother was.

Dropping her bags by the door, she started to wander around the house looking for her brother. She found him in the kitchen taking beers out of the fridge with his back to her. _Typical Vince_, she thought with a smirk. She approached him from behind and covered his eyes. "Guess who?"

"It couldn't be my little sister, could it?"

Giggling, she took her hands away. "You caught me."

He turned and grinned, pulling her into a big bear hug before taking a step back to take in what she was wearing. "Are those shorts or underwear?"

"Underwear. You know me, I love jean underwear," she said sarcastically.

Vince chuckled, rolling his eyes at his younger sister. "Did you drive the Vette over here? I told you not to. Poor car doesn't deserve to have so many miles on it."

"I bought the car to drive, Vince, so I drove it. If I knew you'd be such a pain in the ass about putting miles on it, I wouldn't have bought it in the first place."

"I'll have Jess take a look at it to make sure you didn't ruin it's engine," Vince said more to himself than to her.

Michaela's eyebrows perked up. Could this "Jesse" be the gorgeous man outside the Toretto house? "Jesse?"

"He's new here. We got two new guys, remember? You'll meet them at Dom's barbeque," he said checking his watch, "which we're going to be late for if you don't hurry your ass up and get dressed."

She looked down at her simple outfit and then back up at him. "I'm dressed."

"When I said dressed, I meant in something that doesn't make you look like a ho."

Placing a hand over her heart, she feigned being hurt by his comment. "Ouch, big bro. That hurts. I'm perfectly comfortable in this, thank you very much!"

"For my own sanity, can you please change?"

"Why? Do you think Dom's gonna hit on me or something?"

Vince shook his head. Dom knew better; Jesse and Leon didn't. "He's not the one I'm worried about."

"Oh right. The new guys. Fine. I'll change," she said with a pout as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail.

Grabbing her bag, Michaela skipped up the steps to her old room. She was glad to find her brother hadn't changed anything about it. The same boy band posters were hung on the walls and her old stereo was there with a thin coat of dust covering it. She pulled open her drawers and grabbed Vince's old football jersey which she had stolen so long ago. It was a little too big for her so she gathered it up in the back showing off a sliver of her stomach. She put on slightly longer but still short cut off skirt and slipped on a pair of flip-flops before heading back down the stairs. "Better?" she asked her brother as she twirled around.

Vince shrugged as he ran a hand through his hair. "At least those are longer than the underwear you were wearing before."

She smiled and pecked her brother's cheek. "I love you, bro."

"Yeah, yeah, let's go."

Michaela skipped up the driveway excited to see her childhood friends. The first person she saw was Dominic manning the grill. He smiled when he saw her and stretched out his arms, ready to wrap her in a hug. "That cannot be Mickey!"

She gave him a tight smile. She had been hoping her childhood nickname would be forgotten now that she was grown but it obviously hadn't. "Hey Baldy!" she said wrapping her arms around his massive frame.

"Well, look at you all grown up and breaking hearts," he said placing a kiss on her forehead. "You are almost as hot as Letty. Almost." This earned him a smack from his girlfriend.

Letty smiled at her old friend. She, Mickey, and Mia were all the same age and had grown up going to school with each other. "Where have you been, girl? I swear I haven't seen or heard from you in forever!" she exclaimed as she pulled her into a hug.

"I've been in Vegas! I'll tell you all about it later when you-know-who isn't around," she said with a wink.

"All right, crazy girl. Mia's up in the kitchen. She told me to send you up as soon as you got here. I don't know why she can't get her lazy ass down here."

Michaela nodded and made her way up the stairs. On her way into the kitchen, she ran into something hard. "Oh shit, I'm sor…" her voice trailed off as she met a set of familiar emerald green eyes. "Leon?" she whispered.

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So there it is! The first chapter! Ta da! Please let me know what you think and if I should continue!

Reviews (good and bad) are appreciated!! :)


	2. Surprise?

Hey everyone! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! You are all awesome! : )

~Love Ink

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Michaela

Note: The part in italics is Leon's flashback. woot!

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**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 2: Surprise?_

_By: LoveInk_

As soon as he saw her bright blue eyes, Leon knew who she was. The girl in front of him was the one girl who had ever managed to break his heart; the Blue Diamond. She wasn't a stripper, Vince had been right about that, but she was a vital part of one of the most famous burlesque troupes in Las Vegas: The Precious Stones. He had worked security back stage at Cave of Wonders, the club the troupe performed at nightly. "Blue?"

"What are you doing here?" she whispered, her heart thundering in her chest. She had never expected to see him again. Not after the way they said goodbye. What _was_ he doing there?

He felt anger surge through his veins. She had told him to leave. Leave his job, leave Vegas, but what had hurt the most was when she asked him to leave her for no reason. His grip on her arms tightened and she winced. "I _live_ here. What are _you_ doing here?" he practically growled at her.

"Vince is my brother," she breathed trying to keep her composure. She wanted so bad to wrap her arms around him and tell him why she had done what she did. It wasn't out of her own volition that she'd made him leave. It was to protect him.

Leon didn't know what else to say to her. He let go of her when he heard Mia's footsteps coming from the kitchen. Mia rushed towards them, flinging herself on the girl. "Mickey! You're back! My gosh, you look so gorgeous!" Mia gushed, holding Michaela out at arm's length. "Have you met Leon?"

"Yeah," she stated simply giving him one of her dazzling smiles. She was truly happy to see him. She had missed him more than he'd ever know.

Mia beamed. "Isn't she pretty, Leon? It's hard to believe she's related to V, huh? Come on and help in the kitchen, Mick. I can't wait to hear everything!"

Michaela nodded to Leon before following Mia into the kitchen. Once she was gone, Leon sat down heavily onto the couch, head in his hands. His mind wandered back to the last time he saw her.

_Her phone call woke him up in the dead of the night. He finished his shift at the club a few hours earlier, but she had to hang back to talk to their asshole of a boss, Rick. He smiled when he saw her name on the caller i.d. "Hey beautiful," he murmured, rubbing at his eyes. _

"_Did I wake you?" Michaela's voice sounded small and shaky on the other end. The sound of it worried him; it sounded like she had been crying. _

_Sighing, Leon ran a hand through his hair. "No, baby, I was just watching some TV," he lied easily. "What's up? You don't sound too good." _

"_I'm fine," she said almost too quickly. "Can we meet at our spot? I really need to talk to you." _

"_Yeah. You need me to open the door for you?" he asked, already out of bed and pulling his jeans on. Their spot was the roof of his apartment complex. She had lived there when he had first moved in and they had met on the roof. It was she who got him the job at the club. They joined the Cave of Wonders staff at the same time in two very different positions. Now, she had moved out of the run down apartments and into "the Palace", the mansion where all the girls in the troupe lived._

"_I'm already up here. Roddy let me in." _

_He chuckled in response. "Why am I not surprised? Fat load of good he is letting random people into the building." _

_Leon had expected to get a giggle out of her for that comment but was met with silence on the other end. "Yeah. I'll see you soon," she murmured before hanging up the phone._

_He took the steps to the roof two at a time, worrying all the way up about her and wondering what could've happened. Ripping open the metal door, he found her with his back to him wearing a dark blue velour tracksuit with 'Cave of Wonders' embroidered over her shoulders in silver, its hood pulled up over her head. It was the required wear for the girls after a show. He knew Michaela hated hers. "I'm surprised you didn't change," he said, startling her slightly. _

"_I came straight from work," she said with a shrug. The hood of the hoodie was much too big for her and covered her forehead. The brim of the hood read 'Baby Blue' in calligraphy. "We need to talk," she said, her voice barely above a whisper._

_Leon studied her face and noticed her blue eyes were rimmed with red and sad. He reached out a hand and cupped her cheek letting his thumb lightly stroke the warm skin there. Her eyes closed at his touch. "What's going on, Blue?"_

_She let out a long breath before opening her eyes to look up at him. "I can't do this anymore," she whispered, tears filling her crystal blue eyes. _

"_Do what, baby?"_

"_This," she said, gesturing between the two of them. "Us." _

_He dropped his hand from her face, his eyes wide. She couldn't possibly mean what he thought she did. "What? Why?" _

"_It's too hard, Leon. Can't you see that? It's too hard to keep what we have a secret. You have to leave." _

"_It doesn't have to be a secret, Blue. Fuck your boss! You should be able to date whoever you want!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms out to the side. _

_She shook her head. "No it's not that."_

"_Than what is it?"_

_Her eyes scanned his face and she took a quick breath. "I don't love you anymore." _

_Leon felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. He could hear what she was saying but the look in her eyes contradicted her words. Her eyes were begging him to stay, to hold her. He took a deep breath quickly building up the walls she had broken down. "Well, that's great. Thanks for telling me, Michaela."_

_He turned to go, but she grabbed his wrist. "Leon, please understand," she begged, tears streaming down her face. For someone who didn't love him, she sure looked devastated that he was leaving. _

"_Understand what, Michaela? You told me to leave, and that's exactly what I'm doing! You won't see me again, I promise you that." He shrugged off her hand and walked swiftly to the door. He could've sworn he'd heard her whisper 'don't go,' but he didn't have it in him to turn around. His pride had been hurt enough for one night. _

He'd left the next day with Jesse in tow. They headed south thinking the City of Angels would be a good change from the City of Sin. For months, he couldn't get her eyes out of his head. What if's had plagued him. What if he had turned around? What if he refused to believe what she was saying? What if he had stayed in Las Vegas any way? Now, a year and a half later, he found her in the living room of his house. Was it fate or a cruel coincidence?

Rubbing at his eyes, Leon stood from the couch and took a breath to collect himself. There was no way he was going to let her see how much she had hurt him or how much he missed her.

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Hope you all liked it!!! Please review and I promise to get the next chapter up soon! :) Thank you for reading (and reviewing, if you do)!! You're the best! :)


	3. Getting Served

Two in one day! Woot! : D I figured since this one was short I'd put it up too!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Michaela

Enjoy! 3

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**The Blue Diamond**

Chapter 3: Getting Served

_By: Love Ink_

Michaela stood in the kitchen absentmindedly listening to what Mia was saying. Her thoughts were really on Leon. Seeing him today was a cruel reminder of her own stupidity. "Mickey?" Mia questioned. Clearly she had missed a question her best friend had asked. "You okay, space cadet?"

She shook herself from her thoughts. "Sure, sure. What's up?"

"I was just saying that Leon couldn't keep his eyes off you. He's totally your type. Are you single at the moment?"

Michaela's heart sputtered in her chest. Mia was going to try to play matchmaker with her and Leon. _Shit_. "Yes, but I don't need you to play matchmaker, Mimi."

"Oh, Micks, I don't do that anymore," Mia said with a dismissive roll of her eyes.

She sighed and ran over her hair pulling out the elastic tie and letting it fall down her back. "Whatever you say, Mimi." She didn't buy that for a second.

"No one is ever going to tie you down, huh girl?" Letty asked, leaning against the doorjamb of the kitchen.

Michaela shrugged. "Not with the oaf of a brother I have."

Mia scoffed. "You think yours is bad…"

"Let's not start this conversation," Letty yelled over Mia and Michaela who were already listing examples of why their brother was the bigger oaf. "Mickey, outside. Mia, you finish up in here."

Michaela gave Mia a shit-eating grin before following Letty outside. Once there, she planted a loud kiss on Vince's scruffy cheek before throwing herself into the plastic chair beside him. "Hey big brother," she said with a smile. "What's there to drink around here?"

"Corona," Letty said setting a golden bottle in front of her.

Vince eyed the beer before casting a weary glance at his sister. "You aren't twenty-one yet."

"Good observation," Michaela said with a smirk before taking a sip of the beer.

Dominic chuckled before plucking the beer from her hands. "You know the rules around here, Mickey."

Leon hid a snicker as Michaela glared at Dominic. "Why does Letty get to drink? She's a month younger than I am!"

"Because I give him sex," Letty answered with a smug grin.

Michaela stuck her tongue out at Letty just as Jesse came down the stairs. He paused at the bottom, his eyes falling on Michaela. "Oh wow," he said, a little too loudly. Letty laughed, clearly thinking Jesse's reaction to Michaela was based on her looks. It wasn't, however. Jesse's reaction was based purely on the shock of seeing the girl he'd known for so long sitting comfortably at the table between Vince and a very uneasy looking Leon.

"Jess, this is Michaela, my little sister," Vince introduced gesturing to Michaela. "I know she's not much to look at, but she has a great personality, I swear," he tacked on at the end with a grin.

Michaela smacked her older brother while the rest of the team laughed. She gave Jesse a bright smile. "Nice to meet you, Jesse." She had missed the kid. He had been her confidant in Vegas, the one person whose advice she'd actually listen to because, more often than not, he was right.

"You too," he said giving her a nod before exchanging a glance with Leon. He sat down in the seat across from Michaela.

Dinner was put on the table just then. They waited in silence for someone to reach in first. Jesse, the most impatient of the group, gave in and ended up saying grace as was routine. "So what kind of car do you drive?" Jesse asked Michaela before taking a swig of his beer.

She smirked, typical Jesse. Ever since he'd seen her old banana yellow '65 Studebaker truck, he'd been asking when she was going to get a new car. "Corvette," she answered simply.

Jesse almost choked on his drink. She must've been fully initiated into the Precious Stones to get the car. All eight of the girls had a Corvette in colors that coordinated with their aliases. "Very nice," he managed to get out.

"Actually, it needs to be checked out because Mickey drove it over here from Vegas," Vince stated giving Michaela a reproachful glare.

Dominic shook his head at her. "No respect," he said with a frown. "Those cars are not meant to have so many miles on them."

"It's just a car," she said with a roll of her eyes. Mia hid a giggle as Jesse, Leon, Vince, Dominic, and even Letty glared at Michaela. She shrugged it off confidently. "What? It _is_. Don't look at me like that. Cars are meant to be driven, so I drove it. End of story."

"My parents dropped her when she was a baby," Vince explained with a shrug.

Leon chuckled. "On her head?"

Vince nodded. "Multiple times."

"That explains a lot," Jesse chimed in.

"Hey, at least she's hot," Letty added trying not to laugh at annoyed look on Michaela's face.

Jesse nodded enthusiastically in agreement which made Vince launch his beer bottle cap at him. Jesse crumpled up his napkin and tossed it back at Vince. The bigger man went to grab something else before Mia abruptly stood up. "Vincent Catella, if you throw one more thing, I swear to God I won't have you over for dinner anymore."

Vince stopped dead and pouted slightly. Michaela giggled before poking her brother's side. "I believe you've just been served, big brother."

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Please, please, _please_ review! It helps me update faster! :) Thanks!


	4. Pot Meet Kettle

Here's another one! : ) Thanks for all your reviews! They make my day! :)

Enjoy! (and review!)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Michaela

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**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 4: Pot Meet Kettle_

By LoveInk

The next day, Mia was glad to see Vince and Michaela for breakfast. The team finally felt complete with Michaela sitting at the spot that had always been hers, right next to Vince. If only she could stay in LA, Mia mused with a sad smile. It would be nice to have another girl around the house. While they ate, she noticed the way Leon was sneaking glances at Michaela, and the way she was sneaking them at him as well. An idea popped into the younger Toretto's head, if Michaela fell in love with Leon, she'd want to move to LA! Grinning, she started plotting on how to make it happen.

"So where do you live, Mickey?" Jesse asked, an innocent look on his face.

"Las Vegas," she answered, eyeing him skeptically. Jesse knew very well where she lived. Where was he going with this conversation?

"We used to live there," he said, nodding at Leon. "We moved though, obviously. Things went down, and it wasn't worth staying in Sin City anymore."

Leon smirked when he saw Michaela look down at her hands. The "things that went down" were her fault, and she knew it. At least it looked like she felt bad about it. "What do you do in Vegas?" he asked, catching on to Jesse's game.

Michaela's head shot up, and she fixed him with a glare. "I'm a dancer."

"Like a stripper?"

Letty almost choked on her coffee at his blunt question. Michaela moved her eggs around her plate fighting the urge to kick his shin under the table. "No, not like a stripper," she said through clenched teeth. "Like a dancer in a show. I don't take my clothes off." She forced herself to smile at him.

"Not all strippers take off their clothes," Leon stated matter-of-factly.

Michaela glared at him. "Hey, isn't it time for you guys to go?" Mia cut in, knowing the conversation was heading into dangerous waters. She knew what Michaela did for a living, and she also knew that Vince had no idea about it.

Dominic checked his watch. "Yeah. Hey, Micks, you willing to do some decal work?" When they were younger, Michaela had spent hours with Mr. Toretto learning how to put decals on. If memory served him correct, she was pretty good at them too.

"That would be a no," she said with a shake of her head. "I'm on vacation."

"It was worth a shot," Dominic said shrugging his shoulders. "All right, let's go guys."

Everyone got up at once and filed out the door leaving Michaela and Leon sitting at the table; Michaela because she was still drinking her coffee, Leon because he was finishing off his piece of toast. When she thought no one was watching, Michaela stood and discreetly pulled a lock of his hair as hard as she could. It was her way of getting him back for the stripper comment. He got up quickly and poked her side as he passed her. She held back a giggle as she smacked his hand away. "Grease monkey," she hissed at him.

"Stripper," he grunted back with a smirk.

She pinched his arm. "Asshole," she whispered sticking her tongue out at him.

"Tease," he shot back before ruffling her hair and heading out the door.

She rolled her eyes at him before going back to the table. Mia cleared her throat from where she was leaning against the kitchen door jamb. Michaela tried to hide a smile; she had missed the playful banter she used to share with Leon. "What's up, Mia?"

"Oh, nothing," she said with a smirk. "I was just wondering how long you and Leon have known each other."

Michaela's eyes widened. _Perceptive shit_, she thought to herself. "Why do you say that?" she asked, avoiding the question.

"Do you think I'm stupid? I saw that whole little exchange that just took place," Mia stated crossing her arms over her chest. At Michaela's blank look, she rolled her eyes. "You pulling his hair, him poking you, you pinching him, him ruffling your hair. It was downright cute and way out of character for two people who have just met."

She frowned. "You saw that?"

"Of course I did. I'm the den mother, remember? I see all."

"Right," Michaela said on a sigh. "So, we do know each other. Surprise?"

Mia rolled her eyes at her best friend. "Details?"

Michaela groaned she was hoping Mia wouldn't ask. She stuck to the bare minimum. "Jesse, Leon, and I lived in the old apartment complex I lived in before moving to the Palace, and we all started working at the Cave at the same time. We were tight."

"And you didn't tell me this because…"

"Because I haven't had a second alone with you, and I really don't want Vince to find out because that would lead to questions about my job, and that's something he's not supposed to ever find out about," she rambled.

Mia rolled her eyes. "Fair enough. You do know you have to tell V about it eventually though."

"Yeah, you see, I was thinking of doing that over the phone," Michaela said quickly. "You can't strangle a person via phone call."

"This is true," Mia said with a nod. "What are you up to today?"

"Seeing as the pool boy just left," Michaela said casting a look out the window wear she saw the pool boy's truck pulling out, "I will be spending my entire day in my pool."

Mia smiled remembering the times back when they were younger and Michaela would spend all day in that pool. She loved the water so much; either Vince or Mia's dad had to literally drag her out of the pool for mealtimes. "Some things never change. You wouldn't by any chance want to help me at the store later, would you?"

Michaela shook her head. "Did you not just hear me? I said I was going to spend _all_ day at the pool, and I meant it. This is my vacation, Mimi!"

"Bitch," Mia said with a frown, throwing the dishrag at her.

"I love you too, Mimi!" Michaela called over her shoulder as she skipped out of the house.

Hours later, Mia watched as the boys trailed into the store. She set their usual sandwiches in front of them, smiling as they each muttered their thanks. "Hey Dom, do you think I could take off after this? I need to check on Mickey," Vince asked around a bite of his sandwich. "Who knows what kind of trouble that girl is getting into."

"Did you finish the Impala?" Dom questioned. Vince shook his head. "Then no."

"Why doesn't Leon go check on her?" Mia chimed in, a devilish grin on her face. At the confused looks on the guys' faces, she explained herself. "He has the rest of the day off, right? Would you do that, Lee?"

Leon shrugged a shoulder. "If you really need me to."

"Good, we do," Mia finished before Vince could protest. "I'd check their house first if I were you."

He nodded, finished his sandwich, and headed to his car. Once the yellow Skyline was out of sight, Vince glared at Mia. "What was that about?" he almost growled.

"What? Leon's just as capable as you are of checking on her. He'll do a great job!" she exclaimed innocently. Vince didn't look convinced. "All right, so I want them to get together," she admitted unashamed of herself.

Vince groaned. "_Mia_, are you trying to piss me off? The last thing Mickey needs is a manwhore."

Mia rolled her eyes. "First off, pot meet kettle. Second off, if Mickey and Leon get together, Micks won't want to leave! I'm sure even you would be okay with that."

He mulled over the idea in his head. He would love to have Michaela home forever, but at the same time, he didn't want her anywhere near Leon. Leon was a player, and Vince didn't want to see Michaela get hurt. "Don't be too sure about that."

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You like?? review por favor!! :)

~ LOVE INK


	5. Words Left Unsaid

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Sorry I haven't posted in so long!! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!! I really appreciate it! : )

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Michaela

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**The Blue Diamond**

Chapter 5: Words Left Unsaid

By LoveInk

Leon stood awkwardly at the door. He'd been knocking for awhile now and no one had answered. He had the key, but he didn't want to scare her or anything. Sighing, he let himself in and wandered around the house. "Michaela?" he called out, his voice echoing through the empty house. It was then he heard the sound of a radio coming from the backyard. Following the music, he found her lying on a blue floating device in the center of the pool. Her white bikini made her skin look incredibly tan and showed off her tone stomach. Her eyes were closed in sleep, her hair floating gracefully in the water behind her. Smirking, he crouched down by the edge of the pool and with a flick of his fingers, splashed some water onto her flat belly.

Michaela woke up with a jolt, causing the raft to tip over which, in turn, dunked her in the water. She resurfaced with a gasp, her blue eyes, somehow a clearer blue now that she was in the water, searched the area for the culprit. They landed on Leon and narrowed. "What the hell are you doing here?"

He smirked. "I was sent to check on you."

"Who in their right mind would do that?" she asked, steadying the raft before hopping back onto it easily. Then it hit her. She knew _exactly _who would do that. "Did Mia have anything to do with this?"

"Vince said he wanted to check on you. When Dom said he needed V to finish the Impala, Mia gave me the job."

Michaela laughed, she couldn't help herself. It was so typical of Mia to do something like that. "Why am I not surprised?" Leon looked confused for a brief moment. "Mia wants to get us together," she explained.

His gruff chuckle in response sent a stampede of butterflies fluttering in her stomach. "That's ironic."

"Right?" she said with a light laugh. An awkward silence quickly fell over them. Michaela sighed and asked a question she had been wondering about for awhile. "So how did you end up with the team?"

Leon shrugged as he pulled a lounge chair closer to the pool and took a seat on it. "You mean after you told me to leave you?"

She bit her lip, regret flooding into her eyes. "Yeah, after that."

"Jess and I packed up and headed West. Along the way, we did some racing for extra cash, and I wound up winning the Skyline from some punk who was too dumb to see what an amazing car he had. We ended up going to one of the races here, and I impressed Dom with my Skyline as did Jesse with his skills. The next thing we knew, we were working for Dom and living at his place."

"It's a small world after all," she sang with a grin.

He rolled his eyes. "How is everyone at the club?"

She wrinkled her nose and shrugged. "Fine, I guess. Rick's still an ass. We have new routines, a new set being built, and new rules. They suck."

"New rules?"

"Sure, you know Rick; he thinks he owns us. New rule number one, every girl must be equally tan. He bought a tanning bed for the house."

"I'm surprised he didn't learn from the last time he tried to get you to use the tanning bed," Leon said with a light laugh. He had been there the one time Rick had tried to get Michaela to use a tanning bed. She'd said no and walked out of the tanning salon. Leon could still remember the complete look of shock on Rick's face; no girl had ever said 'no' to him before. He had made Leon chase after her, but she wouldn't budge. Leon realized she was a lot like Vince in that way, stubborn as hell.

Michaela smirked while she made her way to the pool steps. "Oh, I won't use the bed. That hasn't changed. I told him I'd sit in the sun as long as it took. There's no way I'm going to sacrifice my skin's health for an unnatural orange glow." He stood to get her towel while she wrung her hair out.

He wrapped the towel around her gently. "Why am I not surprised?" he asked with the half grin she loved so much.

"Because you know me so well," she answered with a sad smile. His hands were softly rubbing the towel where it covered her arms; a feeling she loved. "I'm sorry, Leon."

His hands stopped rubbing her arms, and he shrugged nonchalantly. "For what?" he asked, playing it cool.

"For making you leave," she whispered, sneaking a glance at his eyes.

The coldness had returned to them briefly before he forced a smile onto his face. "I'm glad you did. I'm happier here."

"Yeah?" Michaela questioned with a hopeful smile. He gave her a curt nod. She wanted to tell him why she'd done it so he'd understand. So she could finally see that light in his eyes she used to love so much. She opened her mouth to tell him but decided against it.

He raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I missed you, Lee," she said, her voice barely a whisper.

His hands dropped from her arms as though he'd been burned. "Don't do that, Michaela. Don't say that shit."

"Why not? It's true."

Leon ran a hand through his hair and let out a frustrated growl. How could he tell her that saying stuff like that made him believe there was a sliver of hope for them? How could he admit he still wanted her as badly as he ever had despite the fact she told him to leave? Despite the fact she had hurt him beyond belief? He was too proud to do that; to set himself up just to get hurt again. "Just don't," he answered with a sigh before turning away from her and heading toward the door.

She heard the front door slam and grimaced. That was the second time she had to watch him walk away and it hurt just as much as the first time.

* * *

Thanks for reading and please leave me a review! They make my day! :)

~LoveInk


	6. Help Me!

Sorry I haven't posted in so long!! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!! I really appreciate it! : )

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Michaela

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**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 6: Help Me!_

By: LoveInk

When Vince came home, he found Michaela sitting on his black leather couches in her wet swimsuit with the TV on staring unfocusedly at the colored images on the screen. "Off! Now!" he yelled before he had even closed the door behind him. "I just got those!"

She jumped as his loud order pulled her from her thoughts, but made no move to get off. "Relax, bro. I'm sitting on a towel," she stated with a roll of her eyes. He approached the back of the couch before pushing her off the slick leather couch and onto the carpet beneath it. She glared up at him from her spot on the floor. "Ouch! That hurt you big, dumb oaf!"

"I _told_ you to get off my couch," he answered with a smirk.

Grumbling to herself, she stood up from the ground and stretched her hands over her head, cracking her back in the process. "What's going on tonight, _Vinny_?" she asked, saying his childhood nickname patronizingly.

"Nothing that I want you to go to, _Mickey_," he replied just as patronizingly. He had to admit, he was glad his childhood nickname hadn't stuck as well as Michaela's had.

Michaela stuck her tongue out at him. "What is going on that you don't want me to go to?"

"Just the races."

"Ooh, fun!" she said, already going over her outfit choices in her head. "I know exactly what to wear!"

"If it's not a turtleneck and sweats, than it's not allowed," Vince declared, his head in the refrigerator looking for a beer.

Michaela made a face at him before running up the stairs and into her room. She grabbed a bag, stuffed some essentials in it, and ran back down the stairs. "I'm going to Mia's! Catch you later!" she yelled to her brother as she headed for the door.

"Hold up!" Vince shouted, stopping her in her tracks. She turned around, an eyebrow raised in question. "You do realize you're still in your swimsuit?"

She looked down and then back up at him. "Your point?"

"Aren't you going to put something on over that?"

Michaela shrugged. "Why? I'm going to Mia's to get ready for the races." Vince shook his head in disapproval as he took a sip of his beer. "All right, I'll put some shorts on," she conceded with a sigh. She sprinted up the stairs, slipped on a pair of shorts, and disappeared before Vince could make her put on a top.

She didn't bother knocking on the door at the fort. If someone was home, it'd be unlocked; and it was. She opened the door and found the house empty. "Mia?" she called out as she closed the door behind her.

"She's not home," a voice yelled from the basement.

Michaela grinned, she knew that voice. She headed down the steps to the basement apartment and found Jesse sprawled across the faded couch, his eyes glued to whatever game he playing on his Playstation. "Sup, Blue?" he asked without looking up.

"Nothin' much." She sat down on his legs for lack of a better place to sit and turned her eyes toward the TV. "Hows life, J?"

"Life's a bitch," he said, effectively shooting down an alien in his game, "and then you die." Michaela raised an eyebrow at his dark statement; it was completely out of character for her usually bright friend. "Just kidding," he announced, a bright smile spreading across his face. He flexed his legs and groaned. "Geez, Blue, did you gain weight?"

"You asshole," Michaela exclaimed hitting his leg before standing up to allow him to move them. He lifted them in the air only to replace them on her lap once she sat down. She didn't mind, she'd often spent days sitting with Jesse like this. They'd talk while he killed things on whatever game he was interested in at that moment. Sometimes Leon would join in, sitting at Michaela's feet joking around while she ran her fingers through his hair.

Jesse dug a hand under his beanie to scratch at his head. "I can't believe you're here, B. It's so insane. I mean, its fate, right? It's a sign that you and Leon were meant to be together. For, like, forever."

"_Jesse_," she drawled, rolling her eyes. "It's just a coincidence. We do live in a very small world, I'll have you know. Oh hey, I want to go to Disneyland before I leave!"

"Aww man, you're _leaving_? I thought you'd stay," Jesse interrupted with a scowl. "Rick's a dick. Just leave Vegas and chill here with us. You won't even have to work."

Michaela laughed. She loved how her conversations with Jesse jumped from one topic to another without a single break. "I like dancing."

"If you like it so much, why do you keep it a secret from Vince?" Jesse asked before he started clicking rapidly on one of the buttons, yelling, "Die, sucker die!"

"Have you met Vince? Do you think he'd take his little sister being an exotic dancer well?"

Jesse shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, it's not like you're naked or anything. Unless, they changed your routine."

"The routine _has_ changed, but thankfully my contract says my top and bottom stay on at all times," she said with a smirk. "The new techie guy sucks, though. Half the time, he puts the spotlight on the wrong girl."

"Hey, _you_ shouldn't have told Leon to leave," Jesse said, shrugging his shoulders. "I was perfectly happy at that job."

Michaela frowned and bit her lip, a nervous habit of hers. "Can you keep a secret from Leon?"

"Well, if that secret is that your boss told you to make Lee disappear or _he_ would, we're good. I've been keeping that one for awhile now."

She let her jaw drop down in shock. "How could you have possibly known that?"

Jesse paused the game and sighed, shaking his head at her. "Blue, Blue, Blue, when will you ever learn? I know _everything_ that goes on in that place." He took a minute to bask in her shock before he un-paused the game. "Emmy e-mailed me. She said you were inconsolable, and she wanted advice on how I would handle that since I'm the one that tends to help console you."

"I was _not_ inconsolable," Michaela denied crossing her arms over her chest. She was secretly thankful for Emerald's e-mail to Jesse. It was probably the only reason the kid was talking to her at the moment.

"Don't lie to me," Jesse said with a smirk, "I know you missed me."

She laughed, reaching over to pull his beanie over his eyes. "I did. I missed you both. He got all upset when I told him, though."

Jesse snorted as he righted his beanie. "Were you expecting something different?"

Michaela shrugged a shoulder. "I wasn't expecting him to walk away from me again. I kinda was hoping he'd hear me out."

"Maybe if you yelled at it him or something like that, he would. Next time he's walking away just yell it at him."

She rolled her eyes. "It's not that easy."

"It is," he shot back with an enthusiastic nod. "Just tell him. What do you have to lose?"

"So I tell him and then what?"

Jesse smiled. "Then you two get back together."

"And when I go back to Vegas?"

"Don't go back." Jesse made it sound easy. She couldn't just leave that job. She had a contract and there would be punishments if she infringed on it. Punishments she might not survive.

"I can't do that," she said shaking her head at them. "He wouldn't believe me if I told him any way."

Jesse sighed and paused the game. "Don't be so sure. I think deep down he knows it wasn't you who wanted him to leave, but he's too scared to question it because it might not be true. He's scared to let himself get hurt again. Truth be told, he's scared of you because you make him vulnerable, and he doesn't like it."

"Jeez, you make me sound like a big scary monster."

"If the fangs fit," he teased, un-pausing his game with a smirk. She stuck her tongue out at him in response. "So Mickey wants to go to Disneyland, huh?"

Michaela groaned inwardly. "You are _not_ going to start calling me that, are you?"

"I can't call you Blue. People will get suspicious. Plus, I like Mickey. It's like that song."

She could see what was coming. "Don't," she warned.

Jesse beamed and began clapping his hands. "_Oh Mickey, you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind! Hey Mickey! Hey Mickey!" _he sang, dancing as best he could from his seat on the couch.

"You're a great singer, you know that?" she drawled sarcastically.

He winked at her. "Only for you, Baby Blue."

She laughed, reaching over to take the controller out of his hand. "How do you play this thing any way?"

"Blue, I'm on the last level! Give it back, you're gonna make me die!" Jesse whined.

"Oh please, like you can't hack into this game and get here again," she scoffed, rolling her eyes at him.

"This game isn't even out yet, Blue!" He leaned forward, trying to grab the controller out of her hands. She held it just out of reach. "_Blue_," he whined again like a five year old who didn't get his way.

Michaela ignored his whining and tested out what each button did. Giggling, she shot a random alien. "This is kind of fun!"

"Yeah, I know. Give it!" He launched himself onto her.

She screamed in response, completely surprised by his move. His long fingers tried to pry the piece of plastic from her strong grasp. Somehow, they ended up wrestling on the floor, neither willing to give up.

This was how Leon found them; fighting like siblings. Jesse stopped when he heard the door shut, his hands empty; it was obvious he had lost whatever battle they were having. "Hey Lee," he groaned rolling onto his back in defeat.

Michaela sat up on her elbows with a triumphant smirk. "I win," she stated holding the controller over her head victoriously.

"Why am I not surprised?" Leon murmured under his breath. He tried not to stare at the half-naked girl lying on the floor in front of him. Her white swimsuit drew his eyes to her torso and he had to make an effort not to look.

Jesse grabbed a lock of Michaela's hair and pulled, hard. She gasped in pain and let the controller fall to the ground. "Ouch Jess!" she shouted, her hand going up into her long dark hair to rub at the now tender spot on her head. Leon realized that it had gotten a lot longer since the last time he'd seen her. It hung all the way down to the middle of her back mostly straight with the exception of a few wavy strands spread throughout the thick strands. He used to love running his fingers through her hair just before he kissed her and twirling the waves around his finger while they lay wrapped up in each other's arms.

She noticed him staring and lifted an eyebrow. "What?"

"Your hair is longer," he answered with a shrug before disappearing into his room.

A slow grin spread across Jesse's face. "Some things never change."

"What?" Michaela asked, clearly confused by Jesse's mischievous grin. "My hair _is_ longer."

Jesse rolled his eyes. "_I_ didn't notice."

"He's always been more observant than you."

"Oh please, Blue."

"Blue? Who's Blue?" Mia asked as she walked down the stairs. Michaela raised her hand, a blush rising to her cheeks. Mia's mouth formed an 'o' in understanding. "I don't want to know."

Michaela rolled her eyes. "It's not dirty, Mimi."

"You're lucky I saved your butt this morning," Mia said, ignoring Michaela's comment.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." Michaela reached over and grabbed a chunk of Jesse's hair and yanked.

He groaned in pain. "I deserve that."

"Oh definitely," Mia said with a giggle. Her dark eyes fell on Michaela, and she frowned. "Do you plan on going to the races with your hair like _that_?"

Michaela nodded. "What's wrong with it?"

Mia sighed and grabbed Michaela's wrist. "Let's go. Time to get you ready."

Michaela looked over her shoulder at Jesse and mouthed the words 'help me.'

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Thanks for reading!! And please review!!!

P.S. The song Jesse sings is "Mickey" by Tony Basil and I do not own it...just in case ;)

~LoveInk


	7. Not Normal

Ugh its finals week for me so naturally, I'm writing more of my stories than my actual papers! :) **Thank you** so much for all your reviews!! They make me so happy!! ;)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Michaela and Santiago

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**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 7: Not Normal_

By: LoveInk

The team waited in the living room while the girls prepared for the races. Jesse and Vince were playing each other on the Playstation while Leon and Dom watched them mildly interested. Leon's thoughts were on Michaela and what she had said. She missed him. What did that mean? Wasn't she the one who told him to leave? How could you miss someone you made leave? Closing his eyes, he leant his head against the back of the couch. He could see her eyes so clearly in his head. They had been guarded, as if she had been holding something back from him, something important. What wasn't she telling him? His train of thought stopped when he heard the distinct sound of high heels followed by the clunk of Letty's boots coming down the stairs.

He opened his eyes and had to clench his jaw to keep it from dropping as Michaela walked down the stairs. She was wearing a tight, black leather vest that stopped just before her tight, dark skinny jeans, showing a sliver of her stomach, and the black stiletto ankle boots she was wearing made her almost as tall as he was. The top didn't show much of her chest, just enough to look classy instead of sleazy. Huge gold hoops swung from her ears as she walked. Leon wondered why she hadn't worn something more revealing like the low cut halter Mia was wearing or the almost belt-sized skirt on Letty. Then he saw the relieved look on Vince's face. It was obvious Michaela had chosen something less revealing for her brother's sanity. Leon was surprised at how considerate she was toward Vince. It seemed she truly respected him and valued his opinions. He thought she'd treat him more like Mia treated Dom and completely disregard almost everything he said, but Michaela and Vince seemed to listen to each other more. Vince grinned and wrapped his arms around her neck in a hug. "Aw, look at my baby sister," he teased with a chuckle.

"Get off, get off! You're gonna mess up my hair!" she said smacking his big arms. Vince let her go but not before ruffling her hair and adding to its messy look. Leon smirked at the two siblings; it seemed they both could pull off the messy hair look with no problem.

Dominic cleared his throat as he stood from his chair. "Who you riding with Michaela?"

"Letty, duh," Michaela rolled her eyes at the dumb question.

"No, _I'm_ riding with Letty," Mia corrected.

Michaela shrugged. "So? I can ride in the back."

Mia shot Letty a look. Letty rolled her eyes, Mia had told her about the matchmaking plan, and she was supposed to play along. "My back seat is un-sittable at the moment."

"You can ride with Leon," Mia ordered more than suggested. "Everybody good? Okay, let's go!" she exclaimed before anyone could protest.

The team filed out leaving Michaela and Leon standing in the living room just looking at each other. "I can go with Jesse, if you want," she said, looking down at her hands.

"I don't mind," he said with a shrug of his shoulder. Her answering smile just about killed him. He rolled his eyes as he held the door open for her. "C'mon, let's go."

Michaela skipped out the door and towards the bright yellow car. "This is an improvement from your old one. It's a hell of a lot prettier for one thing. The same color as my old Studebaker."

He smirked as he opened the door for her. "Yeah, well I haven't gotten around to changing the paint job yet." He didn't want to admit that the entire reason he'd kept the Skyline painted that bright yellow was because it reminded him of her.

"Oh," she said, frowning as she got into the car. He closed the door behind her before getting into his own seat. They rode for a few minutes in an awkward silence before Michaela couldn't stand it any longer. "So you're in charge of the scanners?" she blurted out, eyeing the scanners on his dashboard.

Leon looked at her like she was the dumbest person alive. "Obviously."

She glared at him. "Look, I'm trying to act normal with you but it's really hard to do when you're acting like such an asshole," she stated, her voice sounded frustrated.

"Normal?" he scoffed, rolling his eyes.

She nodded. "Yeah, normal. Like two people who have just met should act."

"I can't just go back to normal with you, Blue," he explained his tone a little louder than was necessary.

"If you'd let me explain…"

"I don't want to hear it." He cut her off with a shake of his head. "I don't want to hear your bull shit excuses. They don't mean anything, all right? _You_ don't mean anything to me."

Michaela caught her lip between her teeth as she tried to hold back the tears that had surfaced at his harsh words. That one had stung. _You don't mean anything to me._ What was that supposed to mean? She sucked in a sharp breath and turned her head toward the window so he wouldn't see the tear that slipped down her face. When they finally got to the races, she got out of the car immediately and slammed the door behind her before stalking off toward Mia and Letty, a smile plastered onto her face.

Leon let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. It had been hard as hell to lie to her and tell her she didn't mean anything to him, but it had to be done. He didn't want to risk getting hurt again as was bound to happen. He knew that if he let something happen again between them, if he let those feelings resurface, he wouldn't be able to handle losing her again. So he played it cool and aloof, if she didn't think he cared, she wouldn't bother him.

He watched as Hector pulled her into a hug, lifting her off the ground. He could hear her laugh, her head thrown back so her hair cascaded down her back. "Look at you, all grown up," Hector exclaimed grabbing her hand and making her twirl around in a circle. "Beautiful! You single?"

Vince gave him a glare and shook his head. "Don't even think about it," he warned with a chuckle.

Hector grinned and laughed. "I'm just playin', dawg. You know I wouldn't do that."

"You better not."

Michaela scowled at him before punching Vince on the arm. "Excuse me; I'm a big girl now. I can make my own decisions." Hector and Vince both got a good laugh out of that. "Hey, Hec, is Santiago here?"

Hector flashed a wide grin at her. "Hey, Lil' cuz! Look who's here to see you!"

Leon watched as Hector's cousin walked towards them. He was taller and skinnier than Hector but with the same shaven hairstyle and tan skin. The younger boy's face lit up when he saw her. "Michaela!" he shouted before sprinting to her and wrapping her in a bear hug, lifting her off the ground and spinning her around as he did so.

"Santi!" she squealed, giggling like a school girl as she grabbed his face between her hands and planted a big, loud kiss on his cheek.

Leon's acidic thoughts were interrupted by a smooth voice at his side. "Santiago is Michaela's high school sweetheart."

He looked down at Letty and raised an eyebrow. "And I care because…"

"Just looked like it was bothering you," she explained with a smirk nodding her head to where the two were now talking.

"Well, it's not," he said coolly.

Letty rolled her eyes. She watched as Michaela talk to Santiago excitedly, her hands moving as she talked. Santiago had one hand on her hip, the other playing with her hair. Leon looked fit to be tied. "He proposed to her once," she said, smiling as Leon clenched his fists. "She said no."

"Good for him," he grumbled.

She sighed. "Look, Lee. I'm not gonna lie to you. Mia wants to get you and Michaela together. She has her heart set on it. Should she keep her hopes up or should I tell her to back off?"

Leon shrugged. "I don't know, Let. I hardly even know the girl."

Letty scoffed. "That's a joke." At Leon's eyebrow raise, Letty elaborated. "Don't play like you've never met her before. The way you two stare at each other shows me there's something there other than love at first sight. You look at her the same way Dom looks at me, and that doesn't happen within one night of meeting someone, Lee. She lives in Vegas, you lived in Vegas. She works at a club, you worked at a club. Your stories align perfectly!"

"I should be watching the scanners," he mumbled before getting into his car, shutting and locking the doors before Letty could get inside with him. He could hear her muffled cursing as she gave him the finger before stalking off to go bother someone else.

Leon let out a sigh of relief once she was out of eyesight. He searched the crowd for Michaela and found her sitting on the hood of Mia's car laughing with Santiago at her side. He wished Santiago would leave her alone. It was hard enough to pretend he didn't care without some guy trying to steal her away, now he had to watch him flirt with her. He hated it.

The rest of the races went by in the boring way they always did for Leon save for the fact that he had Michaela to look at this time. Two or three girls had the gall to knock on his window and try to arrange a ride back to the Toretto party, but he blew them off. He wasn't in the mood to deal with fake racer girls for once. There was only one girl he wanted to talk to spend the night with, and he had just ruined any chance of that happening.

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I hope you liked it!! Please review!!! :)

For those of you who are reading _Between Inked Lines_, as well, I'm working hard to update it, but I hate everything I write so it's not going very well!! :(

Thanks again for reading!!

~Love Ink


	8. Choose Wisely

Thanks so much for all your reviews!! I'm procrastinating for my Bio Final by putting up another chapter! hehe :) Please review!! I love hearing from you guys!! You're all awesome!! :D

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Michaela and Santiago

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**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 8: Choose Wisely_

By: LoveInk

The races were cut off short by the appearance of the cops. Michaela was thankful she could hitch a ride with Jesse instead of having to spend another awkward car ride with Leon. The Jetta was small but comfortable and although Jesse drove like a maniac to get away from the cops, he didn't seem at all affected by it. "How was the car ride?" he asked without taking his eyes off the road, an act Michaela was thankful for since he drove like a complete crazy person.

"Fine," she lied, looking down at her hands. She didn't want to rehash the conversation she'd had with Leon, afraid that it might bring her to tears again.

Jesse snorted and rolled his eyes. "That's a joke. What'd he say?"

She sighed and shrugged. "That I didn't mean anything to him."

"What?" he asked, confused. He watched as Michaela sucked in a deep breath and quickly swiped at her eyes. In that moment, he wanted to kill Leon for being so stupid. How could he tell her she didn't mean anything to him when in reality, she meant everything? "I'm sure he was lying."

"Maybe," she said softly. They rode for a few minutes in silence before she looked at him and said, "You know what, Jesse? Fuck him! I don't even care anymore. I'm just going to go to this party, get wasted, and go to bed with whoever the fuck I want!"

Jesse stopped the car in front of the house and looked over her, not at all surprised by her outburst. Vince did the same thing when he was hurt; he turned the hurt into anger and then let the anger out in the most destructive way possible. Michaela was no different. If he didn't stop her, she was going to do something she'd regret the next morning. "Slow down there, tiger. Don't go from one extreme to the other." She was out the door before he even finished his sentence. "Or you could do whatever you want," he murmured to himself. "I don't know why I even try."

Once inside the house, she strutted into the room trying to look as confident as possible. Leon's rejection was still ringing in her ears and she needed a distraction. She unbuttoned the top button of her vest to make sure as much cleavage as she could show-- without having her top fall off-- was showing before making her way towards the kitchen where she knew the alcohol was.

Leon watched her blow through the house like a bat out of hell. There was a determination in her eyes that put him on edge, he knew that look and knew that it never led to anything good. He ignored the urge to follow her to the kitchen, settling for taking a seat on the couch where he covertly watch what she was doing.

She hoisted herself onto the kitchen counter and said something to Santiago that Leon couldn't make out. The smile on her face was the one she wore while she was dancing; her "seduction smile." It was fake as hell but she claimed it kept the audience coming back night after night. Santiago was no different. He grabbed a bottle of tequila and poured her a shot while she grabbed the salt shaker and a bowl full of cut limes. The fruit was meant to go into Coronas, not to be used for what Leon knew was about to happen. Michaela grabbed Santiago's hand and licked the top of it, her eyes never leaving his. She poured salt on his hand and placed a lime into his mouth. Santiago counted to three and she licked the salt off his hand, downed the shot of tequila, and grabbed his neck to put his lips at a level where she could easily take the lime from him. Santiago was sneaky, though, and dropped the lime so it fell to the floor in between them and claimed her lips with his own.

Leon saw red. Before he knew what he was doing, he had Michaela's wrist firmly in his grasp and was pulling her away from Santiago and toward the backyard door. Once outside he let her go, fighting the urge to grab her and kiss her himself. "What the hell was that?" he demanded instead.

"I was just having some fun, Lee," she said honestly. "Why do you even care? I thought I didn't _mean_ anything to you!"

"You were acting like a slut!" he shouted. He knew it wasn't a good reason, but it was all he could think of at the moment.

Michaela threw her arms out to the side. She was not going to deny his accusation; she knew what she'd been doing was slutty, but she honestly didn't care. "Why do you care?"

He ran a hand through his hair, obviously frustrated. It took him a moment to think of something to say. Michaela waited for a response, her hands on her hips. "I don't. You can do whatever you want," he said finally.

"I don't get you," she shouted. She felt frustrated tears well up behind her eyes but held them back trying her best to look strong and confidant. "I tell you that I miss you and you freeze me out! Then, in the car, you tell me I don't mean anything to you! Now you're pulling me away like some overprotective boyfriend! What the hell?"

Leon shrugged as though he didn't care and began to walk away. "Don't you walk away from me, Leon! Not after you brought me out here!" she yelled at his back.

"You walked out first," he tossed over his shoulder.

She took a deep breath and nodded trying to keep herself calm. "I did, and I had good reason to. If you'd listen to me--"

"I told you I didn't care," he interrupted as he continued walking.

"He found out!" Michaela shouted, hoping it would finally get through to him.

Leon's shoulders tightened and he stopped abruptly but did not turn around. "What?"

"Rick found out," she repeated, quieter this time. He turned around but made no move to close the distance in between them.

"So you told me you didn't love me anymore?" he asked, his voice clearly disgusted with her. "Why, so you could keep your job? That's fucked up."

The utter disgust in his eyes brought more tears to hers. Did he really think she valued her job more than she valued him? Was that the kind of person he thought she was? "Not so I could keep my job, you moron, so I could protect you!"

Leon took a few angry steps closer to her so he was in her face. "Since when have I needed your protection?"

"He was going to kill you!" she yelled at him, frustrated tears leaking down her face.

He sucked in a breath. "What?" He didn't want to believe her. He couldn't.

"He told me either I could make you disappear or he would," she explained, swiping at the tears on her face. "So I did what I had to do."

"I could've handled it myself," he growled at her.

Michaela looked at him with disbelief written all over her face. The urge to slap him was strong, but she knew slapping him would not help her argument. "Are you serious? Do you know who Rick Galliano is?" Leon opened his mouth to answer her but she cut him off. "No, I don't believe you do. He's part of the mob, okay? The freaking mafia, Leon!

"This is ridiculous," he said with a snort. A part of him wanted to believe her story so that he could wrap his arms around her and kiss her until she forgot who Santiago was. Another part of him refused to believe her and that part won out. "How long did it take you to come up with this?"

"I'm not lying to you stupid asshole!" she practically shrieked. She took another calming breath and said in a much lower tone, "You know what, fine. Whatever. Don't believe me! But the next time you see me with another guy, don't even think of touching me." She stalked back into the house, slamming the door behind her and leaving Leon standing by himself, his hands in his pockets.

"She's not lying, you know."

Leon glared towards the stairs where he could see Jesse lurking in the shadows. "Do you always hide under the stairs?"

"I'm hiding from a clinger," he explained with a shrug of his skinny shoulders.

"A clinger?" he repeated the foreign term, unsure of its meaning.

"Don't worry about it," Jesse dismissed with a wave of his hand. "You should worry about losing her because she will give up on you and you'll regret it."

"I don't care, Jess. I'm done with her."

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that," he answered sarcastically, rolling his eyes at his best friend. "You're not done with her because you _know_ she is telling the truth. Some part of you has always wondered why she broke up with you out of the blue, and there is your reason! She just told you why! She did it to protect you!"

"She's gonna go back to Vegas, Jess!" Leon shouted, frustrated with his friend. "Whether she's telling the truth or not, two weeks pass and she'll be back there and I'll be left here by myself."

"So? Lee, her contract ends at the end of the year. If she knows she has you to come back to, maybe she'll move back here! I bet you ten bucks she'd love to stay close to Vince!"

Leon sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He would love to have her stay, but at the same time, he couldn't see it happening. "That's not going to happen, Jess."

"You're right. It won't. Not if you don't do anything about it right now. The way I see it, she'll either spend her two weeks here with you or with Santiago. He'd be more than willing to accompany her anywhere she wanted." Jesse knew it was low to play the Santiago card, but it was true. If Michaela wanted to have fun, chances were she'd be calling Hector's cousin up to get away from Leon and enjoy her vacation. "It's your choice, Lee. Choose wisely."

Jesse walked away then, knowing his words would stick in Leon's head and drive him crazy. With a heavy sigh, Leon sat down on one of the lawn chairs and let his head fall into his hands. Her eyes swam through his head mixed in with Jesse's words. "I need another beer," he murmured to himself.

* * *

Hope you liked it! :) The next chapter is one of my favorites and I'll put it up as soon as I'm done editing it!

Please review! It drives me to write more and update sooner!!

Love you all,

~Love Ink


	9. Lucky

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR REVIEWS!!! :) They made finals go by so much quicker!!

This chapter is a long one and so far my favorite...I don't know why! Please let me know what you think! :D

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Michaela

* * *

**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 9: Lucky_

By: LoveInk

The party was still going on, but Leon was lying on his bed staring at the ceiling as Jesse's words ran through his head on repeat. Could she have been telling the truth? Her story was believable, he'd heard of Rick kicking out boyfriends before but some part of him didn't want to believe Michaela would listen to him. He always thought of her as a stronger person than that. It was one of the reasons why he loved her so much; she didn't take anyone's crap.

Love. That was a word he hadn't thought of in a long time. Did he love her? He didn't like the answer to that question. It made him feel weak and stupid. Weak for loving her despite the way she'd kicked him out of her life, stupid for letting her get to him the way she had. He had thought about her every day since they left. Those thoughts were what drove him to the racer chasers night after night. He wanted to find someone to get his mind off her. It never worked. The team teased him about the amount of blondes that went through the door. He played it off saying he preferred blondes. He didn't. He just couldn't stand the sight of brunettes that were not her lying next to him.

God, he loved her hair. It was always a mess, flowing down her back in waves and curls. It was the first part of her he'd seen; the first thing that caught his interest.

_He had just finished moving into the crappy old apartment building and was ready to enjoy a beer on the roof, a spot he'd already scoped out and decided it'd be a good place to sit and think. He walked up the stairs and opened the old metal door ready for some alone time when he spotted her. Her long hair fell down her back, a mess of curls and waves; half wet, half dry. The sun caught a few lighter strands and made it shine in the sunlight._

_Leon sighed, of course the one time he wanted to be alone, there'd be someone else on the roof. The door closed behind him with a loud slam causing the girl to gasp and turn around. Her eyes met his and completely caught him off guard. They were a crystal blue color, a rarity for a girl with such tan skin. Her full lips formed a surprised 'o.' "I'm sorry," he mumbled looking down at his feet. "I didn't mean to scare you." _

_She gave him a somewhat nervous smile in response before running a hand through her messy brown hair. Leon watched as the semi-curled strands fell haphazardly back into place. "No worries. I'm not going to lie; my brother really freaked me out about living alone so I've been a bit jumpy for a few days. You're not some crazy murderer are you?" _

_Leon chuckled and shook his head. She looked stunning dressed in a simple pair of cutoffs and a simple black tank top. "Nah, I come in peace, I promise."_

_She gave him a smile that nearly stopped his heart. He took a deep breath, wondering what that could mean. She was just a normal girl. A normal, incredibly beautiful girl. "Do you live here?" she asked, leaning her back against the roof's railing._

_He nodded. "Third floor." _

_"Me too," she said with a smile that went all the way to her blue eyes and made them sparkle. She turned back to the view of the strip. "It doesn't look like much in the day, does it?" _

_Leon walked up to the railing so he was standing next to her. "Guess not."_

_"At night, the whole town sparkles," she said with a happy sigh. "That's the best time to come up here." _

_"You come up here a lot?" _

_She nodded and sighed. "So far, every night since I moved in."_

_"Which was?" _

_"A few days ago," she admitted with a giggle. "My brother went home today, so I've been just a little bit lonely. Watching people walk up and down the strip makes me feel like I'm a little less alone, you know?" Her eyes grew hazy for a moment; her train of thought had obviously been derailed by a memory. "Anyways, when did you move in? I haven't seen you around."_

_Leon shrugged. "Today." _

_"Welcome," she said with another blinding smile. "I'm Michaela." She gave him her hand to shake. _

_"Leon," he answered, turning her hand over so that he could kiss the top of it. "Nice to meet you, gorgeous," he said with a wolfish grin._

_Michaela rolled her eyes. "I cannot believe you just did that." _

_He had to admit, he was surprised at her reaction. Most girls swooned and giggled when he pulled a move like that. Michaela didn't look impressed, in fact, she looked like she was about to laugh. "What?"_

_"I grew up with two older brothers who are man-whores. I've seen every trick in the book, and that one you just pulled was probably the cheesiest." She laughed then, her laugh loud and a little obnoxious. It made him laugh right along with her. _

_"You caught me," he said with a chuckle. _

And she had in every sense of the word. Later that day, he'd introduced her to Jesse who she jokingly claimed she loved more than him because of the Mad Scientist's crazy ideas and theories he was always telling to her. For weeks, they spent every day together separated only when she worked nights at the club. This was remedied when she got both him and Jesse a job there; Jesse working doing the techie work while Leon guarded the door to the girls' dressing room.

Sighing, he realized what he had to do. If he didn't ask her about it now, he'd live to regret it. He pulled himself out of bed and headed back up into the party. His eyes searched the room for Michaela, but he couldn't locate her anywhere. Panic raced through his veins as he pictured her leaving with Santiago, but he found him chatting up a redhead in the corner of the room. Breathing a sigh of relief, he made his way to the stairs; maybe she'd gone to the bathroom. "She went home," Mia chirped from his side.

Leon thought briefly about asking who she was talking about but then thought better of it. He could tell by the smile on Mia's face that she knew she was right in her assumption and no amount of convincing could prove her otherwise. "Thanks," he mumbled before heading toward the front door.

Mia trailed along beside him. "You should throw rocks at her window," she suggested with a smile. "She'd like that."

"Throw rocks at her window," he repeated slowly. How old was he? That was a high school move, and Michaela would not appreciate it the way Mia would if someone threw rocks at her window. "Are you serious?"

Mia nodded and grinned. "Just do it. There's no way she'll hear the door and her cell phone is off because she doesn't want to talk to anybody so your best bet is the window. Hers is the window overlooking the pool in the backyard," she explained with a wink.

She had a point. Leon nodded and ran a hand through his hair. He opened the door and stepped outside, taking a deep breath before jogging across the street. He picked up a few rocks on his way to the backyard. He spotted the window Mia described and took a few steps back before launching a small pebble at the glass.

Michaela hadn't been asleep very long when she heard the distinct sound of something hard hitting her window. If she were in Vegas, she'd disregard the sound as rain, but it was out of place in LA. Figuring it was Santiago hell bent on getting into bed with her; she covered her head with her pillow and tried her best to ignore it. The noise continued. Exhausted and frustrated, she tossed the pillow off of her, ready to give Santiago a piece of her mind. She pulled herself out from underneath the covers and yanked open the blinds before glaring down at the figure who was tossing rocks at her window. "Leon?" she mumbled to herself. It couldn't be. What could he possibly want?

He chucked another rock at her window, just as she was opening it and it zinged by her head. She glared at the spot where it landed on the floor before turning her glare to the man standing beneath her window. "I was sleeping!" she said in a loud whisper. She didn't know whether Vince was home or not, and she certainly didn't want to wake her big brother.

"Can we talk?" he said, his voice louder than she would've liked. Did he _want_ to wake Vince up?

"I don't know; are you going to talk to me like a normal person?"

Leon sighed and fought the urge to roll his eyes; she could be so difficult sometimes. "Yes."

"Are you going to listen to me without walking away?"

"Would you just get down here?" he asked, his tone annoyed.

She contemplated saying no briefly, but her curiosity won. After all, it wasn't everyday a guy threw rocks at her window. "Fine." She walked down the stairs, taking her time to make him sweat. Opening the door slowly, she took a few steps toward him. Crossing her arms over her chest, she raised an eyebrow at him. "What?"

Even disheveled with her hair up in a messy bun atop her head, wearing one of his old jerseys, and a pair of too big basketball shorts riding low on her hips, she looked beautiful. "That's my shirt," he stated.

Michaela looked down at the old navy blue jersey and then back up at him with a look that clearly said 'so?'. "What do you want, Leon?"

He frowned; he didn't even know where to begin with her. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, looking down at his feet. "I'm ready to hear you out."

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "You are something else Leon Donati. What changed your mind?"

"The fact that if I don't, I might live to regret it," he answered truthfully. "Is it true?"

"Yeah," she said crossing her arms over her chest. "When Rick told me I had to stay later that night to talk to him, he threatened your life. I took matters into my own hands. I'm not going to lie, it was probably one of the hardest things I've ever done. But it was worth it. I know you're alive and that's really all that matters to me."

Leon sighed. "You could've just told me, Blue."

"Would you have left?"

"Probably not," he admitted with a smirk.

"And that's why I did it. Trust me; I played out every situation in my head. I thought about telling you the truth, I thought about running away with you, and I even thought about telling Rick to go fuck himself, but all the situations had the same end and I couldn't handle that. I couldn't handle you dying because I was selfish enough to make you stay."

He nodded for lack of a better thing to do. "So where does this leave us?" he asked after a moment or two of silence.

Michaela shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know." He'd heard her out and now it was up to him to choose what he wanted to do with the new information. She'd love for him to say he wanted to be with her again but knew it was unlikely. Despite growing up around Vince and Dom, men were still a mystery to her. Taking a few steps past him; she sat down at the pool's edge and put her feet in the water.

He followed her to the pool as he thought about what she said. Sitting down a little farther away from her, he stretched his legs out so that his ankles rested on the pool edge right next to her hip. "What do you think?"

"I think it's up to you."

"Okay, so say I believe you. How come you never called me after I left?"

"Rick tracks our cell phone usage," she stated easily.

"Why am I not surprised? Does he read your texts too?" he joked.

She nodded. "He does. He also has our conversations on the home phone recorded. I had to have Vince buy me a phone under his name just so I can talk to him."

He was surprised by her answer as he had been kidding when he'd asked the question. "Are you serious?"

She laughed although it was anything but funny. "Totally. Rubes took off last month and when he couldn't find her, he freaked out. He started tracking our every move to make sure we didn't follow her example. You have no idea the problems I had when I told him I didn't want to drive the Corvette here. He flipped out. It's got a tracking device in it."

"So he knows where you are right now?" Again, this surprised him. Michaela had been very adamant that Rick was not to know of her family in Los Angeles. She wanted to keep those two lives completely separate from each other.

Michaela shook her head, a devious smile spreading on her face. "Right now, I'm in San Francisco."

"You rigged it!" he exclaimed with a loud laugh.

She shook her head. "Nah, even I'm not good enough for that. I managed to take it out and installed it in Em's. She said it was cool. We told Rick we were going on vacation together."

He sighed and ran a hand over his face. "You're being treated like a prisoner, you know that?"

"I make pretty good money for being a prisoner," she said with a light laugh. "This trip is one of the few things I've had to pay for. The rest is saved. Once my contract is over this year, I'm free." She kicked her feet up as she said this, sending water splashing on the both of them.

"Quit that, you're getting me all wet," he whined, nudging her hip gently with his foot. She giggled and continued what she was doing, kicking water up higher this time. Grinning, he used his foot to push her into the water. She landed inside the glowing pool with a splash and he laughed while he waited for her to resurface with that murderous look in her eyes he knew so well.

A few seconds went by and he watched in horror as her limp body resurfaced floating face down completely still. "Cut that out Michaela, it's not funny!" he called to her. When she didn't move, he swore lightly under his breath, kicked off his shoes, tossed his cell on the chair, and jumped in.

As soon, as he was in the water, she sprang to life laughing like a little kid. "Gotcha!" she exclaimed with a wide grin as she treaded water in the deep end.

Leon splashed water at her from where he was standing just a few feet away. "That wasn't very nice."

"Well, it wasn't very nice to push me in, now was it?" she countered pulling her hair out of its bun before flipping over so that she was floating on her back. Her hair floated gracefully around her, the light from the pool catching the lighter strands of her chocolate hair and giving her an ethereal look. "Don't you ever miss the stars here?"

"I haven't really stopped to look." He wasn't taking the time to look now either. He could not take his eyes off her. The way the light illuminated her face was amazing. Her absolute beauty never ceased to amaze him. There was a good reason why men paid so much to see her and the other girls she danced with; it was because they were all stunningly beautiful and unique.

"It's what keeps me sane," she admitted with a sigh. "I get so lonely over in Vegas. I see those stars and think, somewhere far away, I have family who might be looking at the same stars and thinking about me." She sighed again. "Of course then I remember they live in LA and can't see the stars so I start feeling sad all over again."

"Do you ever miss living in LA?"

Michaela sighed and wondered how truthful she should be about the answer to his question. Truthfully, she hadn't started to miss LA until after Leon had left. It was almost as though wherever he was, she was home. She went from her floating position to treading water only a few feet away from Leon. The light catching her pretty eyes and making them glow in the night. "I miss Vince a lot, but I never really miss the city, and I definitely don't miss this house."

"Would you ever move back here? I mean, when your contract is up."

She met his eyes and held them. "If I had a reason to, I would."

Something in the way she said it made him think she wanted him to give her a reason to say. With the devilish half smile she loved on his face, he reached out and grabbed her waist, pulling her through the water until she was flush against him. Every part of her body was touching some part of his. Her hands came to rest on his chest, a questioning look in her bright eyes. He cupped the sides of her face with his hands before leaning in and placing a soft kiss on her lips.

Her eyes widened at the move; it had taken her completely by surprise. Stunned as she was, it didn't take her long to respond to his kiss, molding her lips to his. Her hands slid up his chest as she wrapped her arms loosely around his neck, her fingers playing with hair at its nape. She nipped lightly at his lower lip and Leon let out a low growl. He moved his lips down the column of her throat and she giggled at the feel of his goatee against her throat. "I think I may have a reason to stay, now," she murmured, gasping as he bit the soft area where her shoulder met her neck.

Leon kissed his way back up her throat stopping just at her ear. "I'd say so," he whispered into her ear. He reached his arms down and grabbed her rear, hoisting her up as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He waded his way through the water toward the stairs while she clung to him, her face pressed against the crook of his neck as she giggled in delight.

He opened the sliding door and headed up the stairs, trudging water through the whole house. At that moment, neither of them seemed to care. Once in her room, he set her down on her feet and looked around the small space. Posters of old bands littered the walls along with various pictures of the team. "Here, put these on," she said, tossing a pair of his own basketball shorts at him.

He raised an eyebrow as he caught him. "Just how much of my clothes do you have?" he asked, peeling his wet clothes off and putting the dry ones on.

"Enough," Michaela answered with a grin as she tied her hair back into a messy bun. She turned back to her dresser to pull out a change of clothes for herself. He took in the sight of her tone back as she peeled off the wet jersey and put on a clean, dry undershirt.

It was then he noticed something new on the back of her neck. He took a few steps closer to inspect it and found it was a small cursive 'L' tattooed at the base of her neck right beneath where her hairline ended. "What's this?" he asked, brushing his fingers over it.

"A tattoo," she explained with a shrug.

"It's an 'L,'" he stated, clearly perplexed over its meaning.

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "You don't miss a thing."

"It's not for me, is it?"

He felt the heat of her blush rise up her neck. "Would you kill me if I said yes?" she asked turning her head to catch his glance.

A shimmer of shock shone in his green eyes that were fixed on the small tattoo. "You know you're going to have to live with that for the rest of your life."

"Just like my mistake," she said with a nod. "Are you mad?"

Leon slowly leant forward and placed a light kiss on the tattoo. For some reason, it made her whole story much more believable. She wouldn't get a tattoo in remembrance of him if she didn't still care for him. His lips moved from the spot on her neck, up her throat and to her ear before he caught her earlobe lightly between his teeth. She had to force herself to breathe. "I'll take that as a no," she breathed.

Michaela caught his lips with her own briefly before leading him over to the small bed. He laid down, watching her as she perched awkwardly on the edge of the bed beside him. She knew he forgave her, but she didn't want to push her luck. If she moved too fast, he'd pull away. She felt the bed shift as he moved. His muscular arms wrapped around her stomach, pulling her close to his bare chest. He placed a kiss on her shoulder before resting his chin on it. "Why'd you get it?"

She closed her eyes and leant back in his embrace. "Because I missed you," she whispered, bringing a hand up to slowly stroke the side of his face.

Leon felt that warm and fuzzy feeling unfold in his stomach at the explanation. She was the only person who could make him feel that way. Make him feel so incredibly vulnerable. He pressed his lips to her neck, feeling her pulse beat just under her soft skin. Yes, she was alive. Yes, this was real. He smiled against her throat. "I missed you too, Shorty."

Those words were like music to her ears. Without thinking about it, she turned around and attacked him with her lips. Placing kisses everywhere she could. He laughed, his laugh rumbling through his chest and through her body that was pressed tightly against it. As he claimed her lips with his own, she wondered what she'd done to deserve this beautiful man she had in her bed. She was damn lucky he'd let her back into his life so easily, and she knew it. This time, she wasn't going to mess it up, no matter what Rick said. Leon was all she wanted, and she would not have that taken away from her. Not again.

* * *

You like? You like? Let me know, please!!

I know its kind of quick but this story is honestly writing itself. I have no idea where this whole idea came from, but I liked it so I figured, why not?

Thanks again for reading! :) I'll post the next chapter as soon as I'm done writing it!

~Love Ink


	10. Love Bites

Sorry it took me so long to update!! I've been really busy with finals and other stuff!! :) Thanks so much for reading and _reviewing_!! I'll post a new chapter as soon as I write one! ;)

I DID see Fast & Furious and LOVED it!!! Despite the fact that there was no mention of my three favorite boys! :( my friends all looked at me weird when at the end of the movie I said, "But what happened to Vince, Leon, and Jesse??" Then, of course, I had to explain who they were and why I cared so much about them...

Anyways, I definitely recommend seeing the new one! It is so much better than the second and third one! :D

After that little rant, here's the story....

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Michaela and Santiago

* * *

**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 10: Love Bites_

By: LoveInk

Michaela woke up to the sound of her brother's voice calling her as he slammed the front door behind him. He'd obviously spent the night at the fort. She cursed him for waking her from the very vivid dream she was having of Leon. Opening her eyes, she realized it hadn't been a dream. He was still there, sleeping peacefully beside her, his arm thrown over her stomach, his head resting on her shoulder so that his breath blew across her collarbone each time he exhaled. "Michaela!" Vince shouted, the sound of his voice telling her he was still at the foot of the stairs. "Wake the fuck up! We're going to the beach!" She heard the creak of the stairs under his large feet as he climbed them.

_Please don't open the door. Just go right past my room and into the shower_, Michaela mentally ordered her brother. If Vince walked in now, he was sure to get an eyeful. She stretched out her arm to retrieve her tank top from its place a top her bedside lamp. How it got there, she didn't know, but was glad for its close proximity. She pulled it on, disturbing Leon as she did so. He groaned, pulling her closer to him, his eyes still closed in sleep. Michaela giggled and dropped a kiss onto his forehead, raking her fingers through his hair.

"Mickey! You awake?" Vince's voice sounded far away, he was still climbing the stairs. It was clear he was hung over by the way it was taking him ten minutes to get up the stairs. She smirked, there was some time to get Leon out of there.

"Lee, wake up," she whispered, lightly tugging on his hair. "Wake up!"

He groaned again and buried his face into her neck, nipping at the soft skin there. "No," he mumbled against her throat before biting it again.

Her heart was beating like crazy in her chest as he began to place kisses lazily along her throat and shoulder before his kisses got closer to her collar bone and started to travel lower. Knowing well where he was headed, she grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled his head back. "Stop!" He looked up at her with innocent eyes and she glared at him. "My brother is here!"

"He wouldn't come in here," Leon said with a devilish grin. He frowned as she managed to escape from under his arm and get out of the bed.

"You need to hide in the closet," she ordered, pointing to the sliding mirrored doors while she pulled on a pair of boxers she'd found on the floor. She tossed the other pair at Leon. They landed on his face and she laughed.

"You're joking," he said, a silly grin on his face as he stood to put the shorts on. When she didn't smile back, his grin faltered. "You're serious."

She nodded enthusiastically. "Michaela!" Vince's voice echoed off the hallway walls, he was getting closer.

"Go!" she demanded, pushing Leon towards the closet. As soon as he closed the doors, she opened her bedroom door. "I'm awake! What's up, big bro?"

Vince looked at her with an eyebrow raised, his blue eyes scanning the room behind her. The red marks along her neck and chest did not go unnoticed, but he decided not to mention them, yet. "Dom is closing down the shop so we can all head to the beach."

"What time is it? I'm surprised anyone is up and functioning after a party like that," she said, an eyebrow raised at her brother's disheveled appearance.

He shrugged. "Tenish. How would you know what kind of a party it was? I don't seem to remember seeing you there."

"I was there," she defended with a scowl. "I left early, my head hurt."

The look on his face told her he didn't believe her. "Yeah, well, you have until we leave to mop up all the water you drug through the house. And why don't you tell whoever is hiding in the closet that I found his shoes outside and if he isn't gone by the time I get out of the shower, I will personally see him out of the house with my gun."

He turned and headed towards his room, leaving Michaela gaping at his back. "Damn, he's good," she said to herself before she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist. She leaned into Leon's chest and groaned in annoyance. She hated how her brother always knew everything about her life…well, almost everything. She'd managed to keep her occupation a secret for awhile now. "I totally forgot about your shoes!"

"Fail," Leon teased with a chuckle.

She closed the door quietly before turning around and wrapping her arms around his torso. "How'd he get so good at that?"

Leon laughed and dropped a kiss on her forehead. She tilted her head up, her eyes begging for another kiss. He obliged happily and planted a slow kiss on her lips. "Leon," she moaned as he tried to deepen the kiss.

"Mm?" he mumbled against her lips.

With a sigh, she pulled away from him. "You really should go, though. He wasn't kidding about the gun thing. He's done it before."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Just how many guys have hidden in your closet, Shorty?"

A blush rose to her cheeks as she pushed him toward the door. "Would you just go?" she asked, clearly embarrassed by his question. "I'll see you for breakfast and then beach time!" she exclaimed with a huge grin.

Leon gave her one last, long kiss before sneaking out of the room dressed in nothing but the basketball shorts she'd given him. His wet clothes were hanging in Michaela's bathroom which, luckily, was not one she shared with Vince. He headed stealthily down the stairs before going out through the back door, stopping to grab his shoes as he went. He walked casually back into the house through the backyard door and slipped into the basement without being discovered. Jesse was waiting for him in the on the couch. "So? How'd it go?" the blonde boy asked without taking his eyes off the screen in front of him.

Leon just smiled in response before heading into his room and closing the door. "That good, huh?" Jesse mused to himself.

"So who was it?" Vince asked from his spot on the couch where he was watching his sister mop up the water with a bored look on his face. She was wearing a see-through black mesh hoodie over her white bikini with the same cutoff shorts she always wore. The TV was on some ridiculous reality dating show he really couldn't care less about. He was more interested in his sister's dating than the people on the show's.

A blush rose to Michaela's cheeks. "I don't know what you're talking about," she mumbled, putting the mop away in the closet.

He snorted and rolled his eyes. "Really? How'd you get those marks on your neck then?"

"Bug bites," she explained with shrug of her shoulder.

"Must've been a big swarm of them," he drawled sarcastically.

She nodded, trying to keep herself from smiling at the thought of Leon as a bug. "Huge."

"You're full of shit," he muttered around a mouthful of potato chips.

"Charming, Vincent. Is that how you get all the ladies?" she shot at him.

"Oh, you know it. I just go like this," he opened his mouth, childishly showing her the chewed up potatoes chips he was chewing on. Once the look on her face showed she was sufficiently disgusted, he swallowed the chips. "And they come running."

Michaela giggled at her brother. She loved when he let go of his tough guy behavior and acted like a kid. "I'm sure they do. Come on, let's go get breakfast." Vince stood up quickly. She giggled, the mere mention of food had always made Vince move lightening quick.

They walked slowly toward the fort across the street. "It was Santiago, wasn't it?" he asked, an accusing tone to his voice.

"My lips are sealed," she said, looking guilty as sin. Let him think it was Santiago. It was far better than him suspecting it was Leon; Vince didn't see Santiago enough to do any damage to him.

Her brother stopped in the middle of the road and groaned in protest. "Not again, Mickey. He's a tool!"

She stopped and turned around, glaring at her brother. "It's just for a few weeks, V, butt out of it!"

"And you two went _swimming_? You didn't fuck in my pool, did you?"

"What?" she asked, her jaw gaping open at his blunt question as she walked up to the front door.

"It's a simple question, sis," he said following her into the house. "Did you have sex in the pool last night or not?"

"I did _not_ have sex in the pool last night!" she announced a little too loudly.

The team, who was sitting at the dining room table waiting for breakfast all burst into laughter. "Well that's good to know," Letty said chuckling.

Michaela tried her hardest not to look at Leon who she could hear laughing with the rest of them. Jesse was eyeing her with a pleased grin. "How did that even come up?" he asked with a laugh.

"Mickey had a boy hiding in her closet," Vince explained, sitting at the other head of the table, across from Dom.

"Again?" Dom asked with a chuckle.

Leon's eyebrow rose infinitesimally so only Michaela noticed. She held back a groan, he was going to ask her about it later. "It doesn't happen that often!" Mickey stated, defending herself as best she could as she took the seat between Vince and Leon.

Mia brought the plates to the table, her eyes falling on the red marks that marred Michaela's caramel skin. "Geez, Mickey, was he part vampire?"

Mickey's fingers gently grazed the red marks that littered the side of her neck and she kicked Leon's shin under the table. The corner of his lips turned up in a discreet smile. "Maybe he was." Leon kicked her back and she looked down at her plate, trying hard not to laugh.

"It wasn't Santiago was it?" Mia asked, her brown eyes wide as she sat down next to Dom. She could've sworn Leon was going to throw rocks at her window; had Santiago gotten there first?

"No, couldn't have been Santi. Because that," Letty said pointing her fork at Michaela's neck, "is beard burn and Santi doesn't have a beard."

Michaela gave her an evil glare. "Can we talk about something else, please?"

"I don't know, Mickey, those are pretty distracting. I mean, they're even worse than Leon's," Jesse teased.

Vince craned his neck to look Leon's way. "Let's see 'em, Leon," he stated looking at his friend. Leon turned so that the mark was in full view. Vince let out a low whistle. "Jeez. Who gave you that one?"

The urge to say 'your sister' was strong, but Leon bit his tongue. He wanted to live to see the next year. "A girl."

"No shit, Sherlock. Who was it? Was it Babette? I heard she likes it rough," Vince said with a wolfish grin.

"Why am I not surprised you know someone named Babette?" Michaela asked her brother, one eyebrow arched over her crystal blue eyes. Vince just gave her a shit-eating grin in return.

"And what's that supposed to mean? Babette could be a completely normal girl," Jesse questioned, slightly offended. He'd hooked up with Babette a few nights ago.

"Letty, is Babette a normal girl?" Michaela asked wanting to get a female's honest opinion.

Letty snorted and shook her head. "Sure, if normal means you walk around half clothed all day. I bet the only reason Vince knows her name is because she has a necklace of it that hangs right over her cleavage."

"Point made," Michaela said triumphantly.

"You walk around half-clothed all day; does that mean you're not normal either?" Vince asked glaring pointedly at her revealing outfit.

She threw a tater-tot at his forehead and giggled as it hit its mark. Vince glared at her but made no move to retaliate. He'd get her back for that later. "Are you calling me a slut?"

"You _did_ have a boy hiding in your closet," Dom answered with a snicker. "And this wasn't the first time, either. Vince, remember that time she had _two_ hiding in her closet? Who was it? Santiago and Chet?"

Michaela's tan cheeks turned a deep shade of red. "We weren't doing anything," she said looking down at her food. "Mia was there too. Remember?"

"Yeah, I was there to stop them from killing each other," Mia said with a laugh. "You were dating both of them."

Leon squeezed her knee under the table and she jumped, slamming her knee against the top of the table. The whole team looked at her with questioning glances, except for Leon who looked like he was about to crack up. She reached a hand under the table and pretended to slap at her leg. "I think something just bit me," she said giving them a nervous smile.

Letty gave Leon a suspicious glare but decided against saying anything at the moment. It was easier for Dom and Vince not to know about whatever relations Michaela and Leon had the night before. "Must've been some bug."

Michaela glared at her, standing to help Mia clear the table. Letty uncharacteristically followed, grabbing her plate and Dom's and heading to the kitchen right behind her. "You had sex with Leon," she accused quietly just as Mia headed back to the kitchen to get the rest of the plates.

"I did not. Shut up!" Michaela hissed back.

"You can't lie to me Michaela," Letty stated with a knowing grin. "I know you too well."

"Would you shut up? I don't need the whole team knowing."

Letty grinned in triumph, opening her mouth to say something but stopping just as Mia entered the kitchen, a questioning look on her face. Letty gave her a look that told her she'd explain later and she and Michaela left the kitchen in silence. The boys were already loading up the cars with everything they'd need for their day at the beach. Michaela grabbed a cooler and walked outside putting it in the trunk of her Corvette. It had the most trunk space since it was the only car without huge subwoofers in its trunk. "So I'm a vampire now, huh?" Leon asked leaning over the trunk so that the rest of the team couldn't see them.

"You _did_ bite me," she answered with a sexy smile.

"But you liked it," he shot back giving her a wink that turned her insides to mush.

She stuck her tongue out at him, elbowing him in the side. "Dirty boy," she murmured under her breath. He placed a quick peck on her lips, completely catching her off guard. Tossing her his sexy half-grin over his shoulder, he headed back toward the house. She let out a long breath, trying to calm her racing heart. "That boy will be the death of me."

* * *

Thanks again for reading and PLEASE review!! It inspires me to write faster!! (if that makes any sense)

Love you all!

~LoveInk


	11. Cheater

Sorry I've been so bad with the updating!!! :( Here is a new chapter that I'm kind of fond of for some reason... ;)

Hope you like it!! and thanks SO much for your reviews!! I love all you readers! :) You're the best!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Mickey

* * *

**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 11: Cheater_

By: LoveInk

Michaela slipped into her low riding Corvette and waited for the rest of the team to get into their respective cars since none of them could bear to leave their car behind. Rolling her eyes, she folded back the top of the car and turned on the stereo letting the smooth sounds of Santana fill the air. Vince smiled at her music choice as he leant against his car parked in front of hers. "Finally, some good music," he teased.

She scowled at him. "I listen to very good music, thank you."

"Rarely."

"Just because the people I listen to don't scream to get their point across…"

"You two ready to go or are you going to keep fighting?" Dominic interrupted, getting into his Mazda. Letty slipped into his passenger's seat, a move that surprised Michaela. Her friend always used to drive her own car everywhere.

"I'm ready," Michaela answered, sticking her tongue out at her brother. She was even more surprised when Jesse went to open her passenger door. "You're not going to drive?"

Jesse shrugged. "I rarely get to ride in convertibles, so I figured, why not?"

She beamed at him. "You want to drive?"

His blue eyes danced with excitement. "Hell yes, I do!"

Giggling, she quickly unbuckled herself and dashed around the nose of the car while Jesse climbed over the center console. Leon rolled his eyes at their antics, though he secretly wished he'd asked her if he could drive first; that way, he'd have more time alone with her. He started the Skyline and followed Dom and Vince as they headed toward the beach.

Leon watched, mildly amused as Jesse and Michaela passed him on the road. Michaela's hair was whipping around her smiling face. It was clear she was enjoying herself with Jesse, she always did. They were like twin siblings separated at birth. Jesse was older than her by exactly a month, and he never let her forget that. Jesse was singing loudly to some Spanish song while Michaela danced in her seat, letting her long arms sway in the wind. He chuckled happy to let them drive in front of them so he could watch her.

They parked their cars in the almost empty parking lot. It was a pretty secluded beach that only locals really knew about. Michaela got out of the car and stretched her arms over her head, yawning in the process. "I'm ready to go lay out in the sun," she announced.

"Me too!" Mia exclaimed, getting out of Vince's car before tossing Michaela and Letty towels. "Let's go!"

The three girls sprinted to the beach leaving the boys behind to take care of the coolers and the rest of the beach equipment. "It's all right, we got it, don't strain yourselves," Dom called sarcastically after them.

"Lazy bums," Vince muttered under his breath as he picked up a cooler full of beer.

By the time the boys had gotten everything to the beach, the girls were already stretched out on their towels and relaxing in the sun. Leon was glad he was wearing such darkly tinted sunglasses because he was pretty sure Vince would kill him if he caught the way he was looking at Michaela in her tiny yellow bikini. He could hear Vince and Dom whispering and chuckling like two devious school boys and wondered what they were up to. It wasn't long until Vince hoisted Michaela off the ground, his arms looping underneath hers while Dom grabbed her feet. She screamed and struggled against their hold. "No, no! Boys put me down! Now! We're too old for this!" she shrieked as they carried her closer and closer to the water. "C'mon! I'm not a kid anymore! That water is cold! This isn't funny!"

"Some things never change," Mia stated with a sigh.

At Leon and Jesse's inquisitive glares, Letty elaborated. "It's a beach tradition. The youngest gets thrown in. Michaela's the youngest by three months."

"What kind of tradition is that?" Jesse asked with a laugh.

"One that those two knuckleheads made up," Mia explained with a roll of her eyes. "My dad played along with it the first time they announced the tradition, and ever since then, it stuck. Now, Mickey always gets thrown in as soon as Dom and Vince can catch her. I guess she hadn't really thought to run this time. She usually puts up more of a fight."

Leon laughed as the boys chucked Michaela into the rolling waves before sprinting back to their spot. She came up sputtering with a murderous look on her face. When she finally got back to her towel, she was shivering and her teeth were chattering together. "Hows the water?" Leon asked with a cheeky grin.

She flipped him off and threw herself onto her towel, trying her best to get warmer. He wished he could wrap his arms around her and warm her up himself, but he had a feeling her brother would not appreciate that. "Was that really necessary?" she asked, her words slightly shaken by her still chattering teeth.

"Its tradition," Vince and Dom answered together.

"Stupid tradition," she murmured under her breath, rubbing her arms to try to make the goose bumps disappear. "Do they do that to you guys when I'm not around?"

"Nope," Mia and Letty answered, both sharing a laugh at Michaela's expense.

"I hate you guys," she growled.

Vince made a kissy face at her as Dom got out a football and motioned for Vince to go long. Leon and Jesse followed after and soon the boys were quite involved in a game of Three Flies Up. "One day, they're going to kill each other playing that game," Mia said with a worried sigh just as Vince tackled Jesse to the ground. The boys played a modified version of the game where the person who actually threw the ball to the thrower got a fly rather than the person who caught the ball. It made the game more violent, which the boys said was more fun.

When Mia didn't get a response from either of the girls, she glanced at them. Letty was deeply immersed in her car magazine. Michaela was a different story completely. Her blue eyes were glued to a certain jersey clad man, the corner of her lip caught between her teeth and an eyebrow raised, a clear indication that whatever thoughts were running through her mind were not clean enough to be said aloud. "Who you looking at Michaela?"

Michaela shrugged a shoulder. "The ocean." Her arms were placed on the towel behind her, propping her torso up so she could watch the boys better.

"That's a joke," Letty snorted, suddenly more interested in the girls' conversation then her magazine.

"Right?" Mia replied with a giggle.

"I don't know what you guys are talking about," Michaela stated, trying hard to hide a smile. She knew very well what they were talking about.

"You're looking at Leon like he's a piece of meat," Mia explained with a roll of her eyes. "Do you like him?"

It was then that Leon decided to pull his jersey off. Michaela had to keep herself from drooling at his tanned, toned chest. She didn't answer Mia's question, didn't even hear it. All she could think about was Leon and how much she wished she could jump him right there in the sand and have her way with him. "Huh?" she asked.

"Do you like Leon?" Mia drew out the words slowly like she was talking to the world's greatest idiot.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "He's certainly attractive."

"Really? Because right now, it looks like you want to screw his brains out," Letty quipped with a chuckle. Michaela took her eyes off Leon for a second to glare at Letty. The dark girl shrugged. "What? It's true! I bet he's the one that gave you those marks, isn't he?"

Oh, how she hated Letty at that moment. The girl already knew the truth, yet insisted on her admitting it out loud and in front of Mia who would be overjoyed that her efforts at matchmaking had been successful. "Would you shut up?" she growled.

"He did!" Mia shrieked, a huge grin spreading across her face.

"I didn't say that," Michaela shouted, falling back onto the towel and staring up at the sky.

Letty laughed, her deep husky laugh, as she sat up on her elbows. "You didn't have to, Micks! You're a terrible liar! Especially to us!"

Michaela flipped onto her stomach, grabbing the book she had left in the sand. "I hooked up with Santiago, all right?"

"Bull shit," Mia and Letty said at the exact same time. They grinned at each other briefly before Letty continued, "Why won't you just admit it? It's not like it's a bad thing, all right?"

"Yeah, Lee's a great guy!" Mia said earnestly.

Michaela nodded, Leon _was_ a great guy. Suddenly, she wondered why she'd ever tried to keep this secret from her two best friends. It wasn't like they'd got ratting on her to Dom or Vince. They'd never done it in the past. A blush rose to her cheeks. "It was Leon."

Mia squealed with glee, clapping her hands excitedly. "Yes! I knew it! Oh my gosh, Mickey, you two are so cute together!"

"You can't say anything to my brother!" she exclaimed quickly. "Or your brother for that matter!"

Letty drew her fingers across her lips like she was zipping them up while Mia decided on locking hers and throwing away the key. "You know we wouldn't do that," Mia said after.

"So how was it?" Letty asked out of pure curiosity. "It was rough, huh? I can tell by all the marks on ya. Lee's a biter, isn't he? That nasty dog."

Michaela's cheeks turned bright red. She jumped to her feet and sprinted towards the boys, leaving her two friends laughing hysterically in her wake. She reached her brother who had earned the job of throwing the ball to the three awaiting boys. "What are they cackling about?" Vince asked with a grunt as he chucked the football at the guys.

"Who knows," she said with a shrug. "Can I play?"

Vince nodded his chin in the direction of the guys. "Go wide, I'll make sure you get the ball," he added winking her way. The boys wouldn't dream of tackling her, so he knew she'd win.

She grinned at him. "Roger that!" she called over her shoulder as she ran towards the three large boys who were still fighting over the ball. It ended up in a stalemate. "I'm playing," she chirped, taking the ball from them and throwing it to her brother.

Jesse and Leon watched as the football spiraled perfectly through the air and hit its mark. Leon whistled. "Nice arm."

"That ain't all that's nice about me," she said giving him a wink.

Leon smirked and shook his head. "I don't doubt that."

Dom raised an eyebrow at their flirting, wondering if they were closer than he and Vince had already suspected. He positioned himself in front of her so he was between her and Leon. She rolled her eyes at him and took a few, long steps back and out to the left. She locked eyes with her brother and gave him an imperceptible nod. With a large grin, Vince threw it her way. Running a few steps, Michaela caught it easily. "I win!" she exclaimed with a small smile.

"You have two more catches to make," Dom stated. She could tell by the look on his face that this time, it wouldn't be so easy for her to catch the ball.

Leon took a few steps back and positioned himself at Michaela's side. He could tell Vince was aiming for her, and he sure as hell wasn't going to let them cheat. The ball went sailing through the air and they both dove for it; Michaela landing on his chest. She was straddling his torso as he held the ball as far away from her as possible. He laughed as she reached for it, a look of stubborn determination on her face. With a wicked smile, she leant closer to him and extended her arms, making sure her chest rubbed against his. He swallowed thickly as he felt a fire ignite in his veins as she stretched, her hips sliding lower on his body.

"Where'd the ball go?" Vince asked, jogging up to where Dom and Jesse were standing watching Leon and Michaela fight over the ball. He ran a hand over his face at the sight before him. "Shit."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Dom asked scratching at his elbow.

"That it was Leon she hooked up with last night?" Vince questioned, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yeah, I'm thinking that too."

Michaela felt the sparks that usually came from being so close to Leon flow through her body. She felt her cheeks flush and her heart was beating fast in her chest. She leaned forward to get the ball one last time, her face inches away from his. Their eyes met and he held her graze, his warm breath blowing gently across her face. She tossed her hair to the side so that it blocked the view of her brothers as she leant down a placed an open mouthed kiss just below his ear.

Leon was shocked by her move. The ball fell from his fingertips and in a flash, Michaela was off of him, scooping the ball up from the sand with a impish grin on her face. She tossed the ball back to Vince before offering Leon a hand. He took it, making sure to get as close to her as possible when she pulled him up. "You cheated," he murmured in her ear.

She winked at him. "_You_ liked it."

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YAY!! Did you like it?? Let me know in a review!! :)

More to come soon, I promise!

Thanks again for reading!!!

~Love Ink

P.S. There is going to be a **Fast and Furious ** FIVE with Paul and Vin!!! :) YAY!! Maybe they'll bring back everyone's favorite boys too!!! ...or at least give us some insight on what happened to them! ;)


	12. The Bond Between Siblings

**Thank you** so much for all of your encouraging reviews!! I love checking my e-mail and seeing the lovely review messages!! :D Please keep reading and reviewing!!

I'm not a big fan of this chapter...its kind of a filler of sorts. Let me know what you think. ;)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Michaela

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**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 12: The Bond Between Siblings_

By: LoveInk

The team trudged into the house around eight, exhausted from all the sun and games. Dom and Letty fell into their favorite armchair and Jesse and Leon were on the floor leaning against the couch Vince had thrown himself across as they walked through the door. "Mickey, would you grab me a beer?" he asked, running a hand over his hair. "Please?"

Leon wondered what Michaela would do with such a proposition. It wasn't like her to willingly do something for someone who was too lazy to do it for themselves. He was surprised when she went to the refrigerator, grabbed a Corona and dangled it in front of her brother's face. "Beer for the brother," she said with a smile.

"Thank you, pretty girl," he said taking the beer with a grin on his face.

She bent over to drop a kiss on his forehead. "No prob, bro."

"Hey Mia! Grab me a beer," Dom hollered to his sister who was putting away things in the kitchen.

A murderous glance crossed Mia's face as she walked from the kitchen to the living room where her angry brown eyes fell on her lounging brother. "Get off your lazy ass and get one yourself! Do I look like a slave to you?"

"Michaela did it for Vince," Dominic stated with a shrug. "How come you won't do it for me?"

"First of all, I am _not_ Michaela," Mia shot back on him, one hand on her hip, the other one waving around as she talked. "And second of all, did you _hear_ the way V asked? It was a question not an order, and I'm pretty sure I heard a please in there which is shocking because I was starting to think Vince had that word permanently erased from his vocabulary. So the next time you would like me to do something for you, think very hard about the way you phrase your question. You may be "king" out on the streets, but you're not king here and I'm certainly not your servant."

As Mia came over to the couch, Vince sat up, going to his usual spot on one end of the couch while Mia took the other end. Ever since Leon had moved in, he'd wondered why they always left such a space. It was too awkward of a seat for Jesse or Leon to claim, but both Vince and Mia refused to move over so they settled on leaning against it. Mia usually put her feet up on the couch next to her anyway so there was ample space for the two to lean. The reason for the space became clear once Michaela skipped over with the popcorn and plunked down on it. No wonder Mia and Vince wouldn't move, the space between them was Michaela's and probably had been for years. She stretched out across Mia and Vince, her head propped up against Vince's thigh, her feet in Mia's lap.

Dom put some action movie on that they'd all seen a million times. Leon was tinkering with a toy engine Jesse needed for his model car when he felt her hand tangle in his hair, her short nails raking over his scalp. He closed his eyes, tilting his head back ever so slightly and holding back a moan. His mind drifted back to Vegas where they'd watch many a movie like that. His head leaning against her thigh as she ran her fingers through his hair.

Her fingers played with his hair throughout the movie without anyone seeing. Dom stopped the movie and flipped the light on, illuminating the room. Leon felt her hand slip away, unseen by the rest of the team, and silently hoped Dom would put another movie in so she could continue the action.

Michaela had other ideas. She stood from her place on the couch and stretched her arms above her head, cracking her back in the process. "And now, I'm going clubbing."

"Clubbing?" Vince asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "You aren't tired?"

"It is only eleven, V. The night is just beginning and I want to go dancing!" she exclaimed with a wide grin. "I'm not old like you, bro. I'm young, and I just want to have fun!"

"You know, I've been dying to go dancing!" Mia agreed enthusiastically. "Letty?"

Letty nodded as she stood from her place on Dom's lap. "Ah, hell yeah."

"Ya'll are invited if you want to go," Michaela announced as she headed toward the door. "Girls, let's get ready at my place .There's less testosterone there. You can borrow _my_ club clothes if you want."

Mia giggled, she knew exactly what clothes Michaela was talking about. The one's she wore in Vegas, no doubt. "Sweet! Let's go!"

The three girls ran across the street laughing and joking all the way leaving the boys dumbfounded in their wake. "Did she just call us _old_?" Vince questioned, disbelief in his voice.

Leon stood from his place on the ground, brushing his jeans off. "Nah man, not us, _y__ou_. I'm in the mood to go out. Jess?"

Jesse jumped up from his spot and nodded enthusiastically. "Let's go get some girls!"

Dom chuckled as he stood, hitting Vince's leg as he walked past him. "Let's go old man," Dom joked.

Vince got up with a groan and headed over to his own house. He could hear the girls' laughter over the loud music coming from Michaela's bedroom. The sound made him smile as memories from the past filled his mind.

He showered and changed from his beach clothes to a simple black sleeveless shirt and a cleaner pair of jeans before throwing himself on the couch in the living room. Leon and Jesse came over next, Leon in a simple black wife beater, Jesse in a black AC/DC t-shirt. Finally, Dominic came over in a black v-neck shirt. Michaela walked down the stairs quietly so as not to alert the boys of her presence. Her cover was blown once she saw them and burst into laughter.

This caught the guys' attention. "See something funny, Mickey?" Dom asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Only that you're all matching!" Michaela managed to say between laughs. "Was there a sale on black at the mall or something?"

All four boys looked down at their shirts and groaned but none of them moved to change. "What if we show up at different times?" Jesse suggested. "That way no one sees us all heading in there together. Ta da!"

"Genius, Jess, as always!" Michaela exclaimed walking down the stairs.

Leon had to clench his jaw to keep it from dropping. She looked drop dead gorgeous in top that didn't leave much to the imagination. Completely backless, the top was short and cinched together by a sparkling blue diamond brooch at the bottom. He felt that familiar fire spread through his veins and clenched his fists to keep his hands from reaching out to grab her as she walked past him.

Vince decided not to say anything about the way Michaela was dressed. She had done him the favor of dressing decently at the races, so it was his turn to compromise and bite his tongue about her outfit now. Her blue eyes found his, a challenge waiting there. He nodded at her outfit and smirked. "You know what I think."

"I do. You gonna make me change?" she asked, tilting her head to the side so strands of her glossy curled hair slid off her shoulder.

"You say that like it's a possibility," he answered with a snort. Her grin widened in triumph. "No, I'm not going to tell you to change. If you want to go out looking like a lady of the night, I'd rather have you do it at a club than at the races."

Michaela laughed and hugged her brother tightly. "You're the best, Vince," she said skipping back up the stairs. "We're almost done!"

Dom looked at his friend completely mystified by his friend's treatment of his sister. If Mia had come out of the room looking like that, she'd be right back up in changing in a few seconds. "I don't get you two."

"Last night, she dressed somewhat modestly so I wouldn't have to worry about her. Tonight, I'll be able to keep a closer eye on her, so I'm letting her dress like that. Its called compromising," Vince answered on a shrug.

Leon had to admit he was impressed by Vince's logic. He hadn't thought the man capable of intelligent thought before, but he'd been surprising him a lot lately. It seemed his younger sister brought out the brains in him. "Compromising. That's a big word. Did you hurt yourself?" He joked sarcastically.

Vince threw a pillow at him. Dom chuckled and shook his head. "You'll never catch me "compromising" with Mia."

"That's because she wouldn't listen to you to begin with," Vince stated easily as though he'd though about it before. At Dom's stern look, he shrugged. "How often has she listened to you in the past?"

"Touché." Dom sighed, Vince had a point, Mia was never one to listen to her older brother. Unlike Michaela, Mia had had a strong father figure. She hadn't always had her brother on her ass telling her what she could and couldn't do; she'd had her dad for that. Vince had been the closest thing to a father for Michaela. He'd always been the one who disciplined her and put her in her place when she stepped out of line, and growing up, Mickey stepped out of line a lot. "You girls ready yet?" he hollered up the stairs.

The girls came down the stairs slowly as though they were each trying to make a grand entrance. Each was less clothed than the one before them; Michaela showing the most skin out of all of them. Mia watched Leon and Michaela lock eyes and hid a smile; anyone with eyes could see how much they cared about each other.

Vince saw the way Leon was looking at his sister. Those green eyes were looking her over in a way that made Vince uneasy. He'd seen Leon size up girls before, but this was different. He wasn't checking her out this was more than that. There was something different in his look now that Vince couldn't put his finger on, but he didn't like it. And what was Michaela doing giving him those adoring glances? Like he was the only person in the room! If there was any doubt in his mind that it was Leon whom she'd spent the night with, those eyes erased it. She _did_ look happy, though. Her smile was hard to miss as it spread across her face. Could he ignore the fact that she was sleeping with one of his closest friends for one night just to see her smile like that? Vince thought he could manage it. He wouldn't say anything that night. He'd wait for the next morning and then give Leon a talking to he wouldn't soon forget. Tonight, however, he was going to let her be happy because that was all he wanted for his little sister; happiness.

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So...what do you think? Was it complete poop? Should I re-write it and make it better? I would've just posted the other chapter, but this joins the chapters together better. :) The next one should be done and posted soon!! :D

Review, review, review, please!! :)

~LoveInk


	13. Letting Go

I'm back! Sorry I haven't updated in forever! I've been so busy with school and then with my birthday (ugh, I'm 20 now. ew.) aaand I was trying to make this chapter better...I'm not a big fan of it at the moment so this one might get re-done. Not sure yet. :\ Let me know if you guys like it, please!

Thanks so much for sticking with the story even thought I'm such a terrible updater! I really appreciate all your reviews!! :D

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Michaela and the other characters that are not from the movie...

* * *

**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 13: Letting Go_

By: Love Ink

Michaela could feel her brother's inquisitive glare on her back as Leon opened the back door of Jesse's Jetta for her. Jesse and Vince had been given the role of designated drivers for the night and the look on Vince's face told her he'd rather she ride with him than with Jesse and Leon. She knew he wouldn't say anything, though; he didn't want to start a fight. Leon leant close to her as she approached. "You are beautiful," he whispered, his breath hot on her back.

She giggled. "You don't look so bad yourself," she shot back with a wink. What she really wanted to say was he looked like sex on two legs in that tight black wife beater that showed off his strong arms and toned stomach. He got into the passenger seat and they both waited for Jesse who was getting directions from Vince. "How dark is the tint on Jess's windows?" she asked casually as she leaned her head forward between the two seats.

"Pretty damn dark," he answered with a shrug, his eyes curious as they landed on her. "Why?"

Michaela leaned in between the two seats and took the toothpick out of his mouth with one hand while the other grabbed his chin. Slowly, she leant closer to him before placing a soft, sensual kiss on his lips. He was shocked by the move and it took him a second to respond. His hands dug into her curled hair, holding her there and deepening the kiss. There in the Jetta, Michaela felt the whole world fall away from her. The club didn't matter, the team didn't matter, and her brother definitely didn't matter. All she cared about at that moment was Leon and the fireworks she was seeing as he kissed her.

The car door opened and Michaela pulled away quickly, giggling at the disgusted look on Jesse's face. He closed the door behind him before glaring at them both. "As happy as I am that you two are together again, I _never_ want to see _that_ in _my_ car _again_," Jesse said as he sped out of the driveway.

She giggled as she met Leon's eyes in the rearview mirror. He'd already replaced the toothpick and was looking quite content with himself. "Sorry, J, I couldn't resist! But there's no need to be jealous." With a devilish grin, she placed a sloppy kiss on Jesse's cheek. "See, now you two are even!"

Jesse chuckled and shook his head at her. "You know what I don't get?" he asked a few minutes later.

"What?" Michaela and Leon asked at the same time.

"So you grew up with Vince and the Torettos and Letty, right?"

Michaela nodded slowly, knowing the question was addressed to her. "Yes," she answered, dragging at the word in a suspicious tone.

"How come you told me you knew nothing about engines, then?"

She smiled, a little relieved at his simple question, and shrugged. "Because I don't."

Jesse's brow wrinkled in confusion. "But Dom wanted you to come into the shop!"

"Cars aren't all about engines, J," she said with a warm smile. "In between teaching the boys and Let about the engines and all the crap under the hood, Tony taught Mia and I about decals and airbrushing. I used to drive a Studebaker, remember? Not exactly a racing car."

"But it did have that beautiful paint job," Leon said with a slight smile. The Studebaker truck she had when they had first met her was the same color as his Skyline but with shimmery gold stars painted in random places all over it. He remembered the Studebaker very well, especially the fun they'd had in the truck bed. He shook those thoughts out of his mind, knowing they would lead to no good.

She beamed. "Why, thank you! I did it myself!"

Jesse tapped his fingers on the steering wheel in beat to the song on the radio as he mulled that over. "Have you ever raced?" he asked finally.

She blushed and nodded, suddenly becoming very interested in her fingernails. "Sure, once or twice."

"What! And you never said _any_thing about that! Mickey, we talked about racing non-stop and you never mentioned two words!" Jesse exclaimed, shaking his head at her.

Leon's eyes met hers in the rearview mirror and a shit-eating grin spread across his face. "You lost, didn't you?" he asked slowly. He knew her well enough to know she had a competitive streak a mile wide and was the worst sport he'd ever seen when she lost. She was a lot like Vince in that way, save for the fact she didn't accept challenges she knew she couldn't win like her brother sometimes did.

Her pretty face twisted into a scowl, and he knew he'd been correct in his assumption. "No…well okay, yes, but only by a little bit! I told Vince I was outta my league!"

Jesse laughed loudly as though it was the funniest thing in the world. "And the second time?"

"I'm just not good at it, okay?" she exclaimed, frustrated. Now both boys were laughing hysterically at her faults and the irritated look on her face. "All of the racing genes in the world can't help my loser ass. I know because Vince has tried to teach me and then Letty and then Dom and even Mia tried once, but I'm just not good at it like they are!"

Leon's husky lau gh filled the car and made Michaela's stomach do flip flops. "I bet that just drives you crazy, huh?" he asked through his laughter.

Michaela smiled, he knew her too well. It had always bothered her that she didn't "fit in" with her racing family. Everyone she met when she was with the team expected her to race and, worst of all, to win. The few times she did race and lost were times she didn't like remembering. Those few times, she felt the disappointment of the entire racing community when she stepped out of the car third in a race any of the other team members would've won by a landslide. The only person who didn't look disappointed was Vince who always looked proud of her for trying.

"Not so much anymore," she admitted with a shrug. "I got over it." Silence filled the car as thoughts filled her head. "You guys are disappointed, huh?"

He was surprised by the insecurity in her voice. She'd always seemed so confident to him, like she was completely secure in who she was, but it seemed he'd found something she wasn't so sure about. He chuckled and shook his head. "Not at all. Right Jesse?"

"No, no, no, no. It explains a lot actually. I _knew_ you knew too much about cars for being just a normal girl!" Jesse exclaimed with a large grin on his face. "I mean, you knew all the accessories and stuff! Remember the first time we hung out and she pointed out that sick VeilSide body kit on that Mazda?"

Leon nodded with a large smile on her face. "When we got home, Jesse wouldn't stop talking about it."

"I kept trying to figure out how you managed to pull that one out of your ass! I mean, most girls try to impress us by showing they know what kind of car we have, but you pulled out a legit company! I thought you just really liked us and wanted to impress us so you did some research!" Jesse rambled on, his eyes wide with understanding. "And all this time, you were LA street-racing royalty! Huh!"

Michaela rolled her eyes at Jesse's exaggeration. "I'm not royalty. I don't race, remember?"

"A princess doesn't rule but she's still considered royalty, isn't she?" Jesse shot back at her.

"He's got a point," Leon said with a laugh, "Princess."

She groaned at the new nickname and hoped it wouldn't stick. Mickey was bad enough but to be called Princess on a daily basis? She didn't know if she could handle that. "You are _not_ going to call me that!"

"Call you what, Princess?" Jesse asked with a snicker.

"I really hate you two, you know that?" she said throwing herself back in the seat with another groan. Leon reached back and squeezed her ankle. She let out a yelp of surprise and kicked his hand away.

"Sure, you keep thinking that," Leon drawled sarcastically.

"I do! I can't stand you, Leon Donati," she shot back at him.

"That's not what you said last night, Princess," Leon deadpanned, a smirk turning up the corner of his mouth.

Her mouth fell open in shock before she leant forward and smacked his head. Jesse was laughing so hard, tears were coming out of his eyes. "The look on your face is priceless!" he shouted, banging the steering wheel to emphasize his delight. "I'm just sad Vince wasn't here to hear _that_!"

"He'd have your head," Michaela stated with a snicker.

"I'm glad you think that's funny," Leon said, turning in his seat to glare at her. "I'm worried enough about that as it is."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Just play it cool. If you don't make a big deal out of it, he won't…really…kind of…okay, so he's going to make a big deal out of it."

"How is it that you always manage to get me in trouble?" he groaned in response, running a hand through his hair as Jesse pulled into the parking spot next to Vince.

Michaela giggled and placed a quick kiss on his cheek before exiting the car. She skipped over to her brothers who were looking at the line that wound around the club. "I told you this wasn't a good idea," Vince said gesturing toward the line.

"Don't worry about it, bro," Michaela said, striding toward the entrance confidently. "Just follow me."

They followed her hesitantly as she walked right up to the velvet rope. The bouncer raised an eyebrow and looked her over. "Are you on the list?"

"Yes, sir. Should be under Catty Catella," she said confidently.

Vince looked surprised by the nickname; no one had called her, "Catty," since high school. The bouncer took a few minutes to rifle through his list before he lifted the velvet rope and let them slip in. "How'd you manage that?"

"The owner is an old friend," she yelled over the loud Latin music. "You guys go grab a table, I'll be right back."

Leon watched her disappear into the crowd and glanced at Letty with his eyebrows raised. "Catty?"

"It's what her _other_ friends called her in high school," Letty replied with a roll of her eyes. Michaela had been quite popular throughout their high school years. She was "in" with the jocks and the cheerleaders because she was on dance team, she helped the artsy kids choreograph their shows, she was smart enough to hang out with Mia's geeky friends, and she hung out with the team whenever she could. "Catty" was the nickname her acquaintances called her. "Mickey" was the name family called her. In a way, it was how she kept her lives separate. "Catty" was the daring, obnoxiously loud, crazy girl that would jump from one guy to another without batting an eyelash, but for some reason, everyone loved her anyway. Mickey was the tamer, childish, vulnerable girl who was caring and kind; the girl that only family knew and loved. Her different personalities had pissed Mia and Letty off multiple times, but she'd always find a way back into their hearts. That was just who she was. She could adapt to any situation without batting an eyelash.

"Wonder which football player it is?" Mia questioned sarcastically with a roll of her eyes.

Her questioned was answered when Michaela appeared with her arms looped through the arm of a tall, built man. His blonde hair was shaved closely to his head and when he smiled, as he was doing at the moment, two dimples appeared in his cheeks.

"Ooh, he's pretty," Jesse commented, elbowing Leon in the ribs.

Leon gritted his teeth together to keep from rushing over there and grabbing her away from the guy who looked like he modeled in his spare time. He heard Mia's sharp intake of breath and looked over her with a raised eyebrow. "Letty, it's Colton Kelly!" she whispered, her brown eyes wide. Mia had had a huge crush on the suave football player since their freshman year of high school. Standing there in front of her, he looked as good as ever.

"Hey guys, this is Colton," Michaela introduced with a bright smile. "Colt, this you remember Vince, Dom, Mia, and Letty, I'm sure."

Colton grinned, his blue eyes flashing. His eyes fall on Mia and his already wide smile grew wider. "Of course I do! Mia, how are you?"

Leon watched as Mia stumbled over herself as she fought to find words. "I'm fantabulous," she finally managed to say before turning bright red in embarrassment.

"And these are the new guys, Leon and Jesse," Michaela said, saving Mia as she gestured toward them.

Colton held out a hand for them to shake which they gladly did. "Welcome to my club, guys! Drinks are on me tonight, so enjoy!" He held out neon green wristbands to ensure their drinks would be free.

"Thanks, man," Dom said as they shook each other's hands.

Colton just nodded and flashed another dimpled grin Mia's way. "So Mia, what have you been up to?"

Michaela giggled and slipped away leaving Mia to chat with her high school crush. She grabbed Letty's wrist with a wide grin. "You heard the man! Free drinks! Let's go!"

The two girls skipped over to the bar hand in hand while Vince and Dom conversed with each other, not really paying attention to what the girls were doing. By the time they realized the girls were gone, Michaela and Letty were dancing with each other on top of the bar and had attracted quite a crowd. Leon finished his second beer and grabbed another as he headed toward Dom. "You see that?" he asked Dom, pointing the mouth of the bottle toward the two girls.

Dom groaned and rubbed his forehead. "Aw shit, who let them drink?"

Vince's eyes followed Dom's and his jaw clenched as he saw his little sister drop it low before flipping her hair out of her face like an expert. "I'm gonna kill her," he growled, beginning to move toward the bar. He shoved through the crowd of guys waving dollars at his sister until he made it to the bar. "Girls, get down from there!" he roared. Letty was down and heading Dom's way before Vince finished the sentence, Michaela was a different story.

"I'm having fun, Vinny!" she yelled back, grabbing a dollar from one of the men. "And making money!"

"Michaela, now!" he demanded.

"Is this man bugging you?" the bartender asked, ready to call security if it was needed.

Michaela frowned and shook her head as she hopped down gracefully onto the ground behind the bar next to the bartender. "Nope, he's just being a good big brother."

"All right. Listen, beautiful," the bartender called after her as she made way past him. His hand lightly smacked her ass. "Can I get your number?"

Leon wished he hadn't seen that. His relationship with Michaela was supposed to be a secret, but it was getting hard as hell to keep it with all the amount of attention she got from other guys. He watched as she flashed her teeth at him in a grin that was anything but friendly. "Oh honey, you couldn't handle me," she said cockily before turning on her heel and heading back into the crowd.

Her eyes found Leon's through the crowd of dancers. The smile that told him she wanted him spread across her face lighting a passion in her blue eyes. Another man interrupted her path, but she held a hand out in front of his face before he had a chance to speak. "If you're going to ask me if there's a mirror in my pocket, save it. There isn't and you are _not_ getting in my pants tonight."

"Hello Michaela," he said when she was finally standing in front of him. He tried to keep the triumphant smile off his face as he felt the glares of the many men who had tried to gain Michaela's attention and failed. As she looped her arms around his neck, he felt like the luckiest guy in the club. Out of all the guys in there that wanted her, she had chosen him.

"Hello Leon," she replied, letting her fingers play with the hair at the nape of his neck. He could smell the alcohol on her breath and wondered briefly how much she had had in such a small amount of time.

"Can I help you?" he asked, an eyebrow raised.

"You could dance with me," she said, her hips already swaying to the music. "I promise I don't bite."

Leon chuckled, reaching his hands out to grab her hips and pull her closer, announcing his claim on the girl in front of him. "It ain't your bite I'm worried about, Princess," he told her, the corner of his mouth turning up ever so slightly in the half grin that made Michaela melt.

Michaela stepped closer to him. "Forget about him," she whispered, her mouth dangerously close to his. "I'm the only one you need to worry about." With that, she connected their lips, her fingers raking through his hair. He responded in kind, the alcohol in his system making him braver than he'd usually be.

Vince gritted his teeth from where he stood leaning against the bar next to Jesse. He wished that he hadn't elected to be sober that night because he'd need a strong drink if he was going to have to watch his sister make out with Leon and not intervene. "How much has Dom drank?"

Jesse shrugged. "I haven't seen him drink yet. Why?"

Before Jesse could finish his sentence, Vince had a Corona in his hand. He pointed the neck of the bottle toward Leon and Michaela. "Because I'm gonna need a few of these. Did you know about that?"

Jesse shrugged again, scratching at his head nervously. "Nah."

"Jesse," Vince drawled, glaring at him with a knowing look in his blue eyes.

"Look, she's happy, right?" Jesse asked, avoiding the previous question. Vince gave him a reluctant nod and Jesse grinned, "So why not let them be?"

"Because Mickey's leavin' at the end of the month."

"So?"

"So, it's the ideal situation, Jess! Lee can screw around with her all he wants and there are no strings attached because she's leaving at the end of the month and he'll probably never see her again," Vince answered through gritted teeth; he didn't like voicing his fear to Jesse because the blonde man could tell his best friend and put ideas in his head.

Jesse sighed, he had a feeling Vince would come to that conclusion especially since Leon had been sleeping with everything that walked into his bedroom since they'd arrived in LA. But Jesse knew it was all to ease the pain losing Michaela had cost him. He knew the man-whore that team Toretto knew wasn't who Leon really was. "Well, first off, Lee would never do that because he knows you'd put him in a hospital bed. And second off, what if they honestly like each other?"

"Sure, Jess," he answered sarcastically, "I bet you think he "honestly likes" those blondes that go through that revolving bedroom door of his too."

The blonde man chuckled and shook his head. "Is Mickey blonde now?"

Vince looked at him like he was crazy. "Uh, no."

"Well, then she's already different than all those other girls, isn't she?" Jesse stated as though his conclusion made perfect sense. Vince didn't look convinced. Jesse sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Just give it a chance. I don't think you'll be disappointed."

"Give me one good reason why I should let him touch my sister like that, why I should give him the opportunity to hurt her, why I should trust him to care for one of the things that I love the most."

"I don't have a reason for you, V," Jesse said honestly. "All I know is that sometimes you just have to let go. Let Mickey decide for herself whether she wants to trust him or not. She's not a kid any more, I mean, look at her…" He stopped his train of thought when he saw the murderous glare Vince was giving him. "And its time for me to get my foot out of my mouth and onto the dance floor."

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So? Did you like it?? Let me know, please!! :)

Thanks again for reading, and I'm going to update pretty soon seeing as the next chapter is already written! :D

~Love Ink


	14. Stop Saying That

Thanks so much for all your wonderful reviews!!! They make me happy! :D

...I was thinking of re-working "Between Inked Lines" to fit in with this...thoughts??

Enjoy!!! :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Michaela

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**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 14: Stop Saying That_

By: LoveInk

Vince let his eyes fall on Michaela and Leon dancing once again. They both looked like they were enjoying themselves, and he was surprised to see their dancing was relatively tame compared to the grinding couples around them. Leon spun her out and pulled her in close, his hands staying in the appropriate place as they did some kind of salsa dance.

"I thought you were the designated tonight," Dom said leaning against the bar next to Vince and nodding pointedly to the beer in his hand. Letty and Mia had gone off to the bathroom leaving him alone with Colton. Dom ditched the kid the first chance he got, he hadn't liked him in high school and he sure as hell didn't like him now that he was showing interest in Mia.

"I've only had this one. I'm good to drive," Vince mumbled without looking at his best friend. His eyes were still watching his sister, waiting for Leon to make a wrong move, to check out another girl behind her back, to touch her in the wrong way, anything to give him an excuse to kick his ass. "Do you think I need to let her go?" Vince asked finally. "Let her decide for herself for once?"

Dominic shrugged and glanced at the girl he considered to be a little sister. "Who brought it up?" He knew Vince was too over protective of Michaela to think of that by himself, someone had to have put it in his head.

"The mad scientist did," Vince answered, running a hand through his hair. "Would you let Mia go?"

"I would," he said with a bob of his head. "I'd give him a stern warning not to mess with her, though." He added brandishing a fist, a big smile on his face. After a moment, the smile faded. "You know what I think?"

"They knew each other beforehand?" Vince asked. He'd been thinking the same thing for awhile now.

Dominic gave him a deep nod. "Which means…."

"She's the girl he's been trying to forget."

The team had only heard the story of why Jesse and Leon left Las Vegas one time. It had been the duos second weekend with the team and Letty had said some snide comment about how there was yet another "manwhore" in the group. Jesse had defended his partner in crime saying that the only reason Leon slept with so many girls was to fill the gap another girl had left when she told him to leave.

"Shit." They both said in unison.

Letty looked between them. Unbeknownst to the boys, she'd been standing there since the "warning" comment. "You know it's really creepy when you two do that." Her only response was their loud laughter.

A few hours later and the team was ready to leave. Vince did a head count of everyone and found two to be missing. He growled low in his throat and pulled Jesse aside. "Where are they?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"Mickey was feeling sick so they took a cab home," Jesse explained. It was the truth. Michaela's alcohol induced high was short lived and after spending a few minutes puking her guts out in the bathroom, Leon had decided to take her home.

"A likely story," Vince uttered under his breath. He was even more anxious to get home with this information. He'd beat Leon unconscious if he found him doing something inappropriate with his little sister. Once he herded a very drunk Mia into the back of Jesse's car, he took off. Since Jesse had two open seats, Vince was able to go straight home without dropping anyone off at the fort.

He threw open the door of the house and was surprised to find Leon lying on the couch with the TV on watching the _West Side Story_, Michaela's favorite movie. When he stepped closer, he found Michaela to be lying on her stomach on top of him. His hand was gently stroking her hair as he watched her sleeping rather than whatever gang fight was on the television screen. Michaela was wearing a pair of basketball shorts and a black tank top and he was happy to see Leon was still wearing what he had worn to the club. "She all right?" Vince asked giving Leon a death glare.

Leon decided to play it cool. Maybe Mickey was right. Maybe if he didn't make a big deal of it, neither would Vince. "I think so. She'll be feeling it tomorrow, that's for sure. I swear she didn't even drink that much."

"Weren't you watching her?" Vince growled. If Leon liked her like Jesse had been suggesting, wouldn't he take care of her? Make sure she didn't go overboard with the alcohol?

"I was, but I swear she was sneaking shots behind my back!" he exclaimed quietly. "Those damn waiters and their trays of shots! She'd take one every time they'd pass by!"

Vince hid a chuckle and shook his head. "Why didn't you stop her?"

"Maybe because she takes shots faster than you do," Leon whispered aggressively. "I don't how she did it without puking her guts out on the spot.

"Practice," he answered with a shrug. In high school, Michaela had to take shots quickly or risk them being taken away by her two overprotective brothers who happened to show up to almost every party she went to.

Leon smirked. "I don't want to know."

Vince opened his mouth to shoot something back when Michaela stirred, her brow creasing ever so slightly. Her eyes opened and she bolted for the bathroom. Both men watched her retreat, looked at each other, and then followed her; each shoving their way through the hall to see who could get there first. Leon did. He found her huddled over the toilet throwing up what was left in her stomach. He swept her hair out of her face as he knelt beside her.

"You all right, Shorty?" Leon asked his eyes concerned as they fell on her.

She spit one last time, flushed the toilet, and nodded. "I'm pretty sure that was it. Ugh. I'm so sorry, Lee. This is nasty."

Vince watched as Leon gingerly moved a piece of hair from her face and pushed it behind her ear. The whole moment was alien to him. It was weird to watch another man take care of his little sister. It was weirder still that it was Leon who was taking care of her. He stepped into the shadows of the hallway suddenly feeling the need to give them some privacy deciding to wait there to over hear their conversation and see if he could discover just how much Leon cared about Michaela.

Leon shrugged off her comment and helped her get to her feet. She looked herself over in the mirror and groaned, "I look like a disgusting train wreck!"

He handed her what he assumed to be her toothbrush. While she brushed her teeth, he wrapped his arms around her from behind, setting his chin on her shoulder. "I think you look beautiful," he said pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

"You need your eyes checked," she mumbled around her toothbrush but a smile crossed her face just the same. She finished brushing her teeth and turned in his arms with a loud sigh. "Thanks for taking care of me," she said into his chest as she squeezed him tightly.

He kissed the top of her head. "Anytime, Princess. You feeling better now?"

She groaned and nuzzled her face into his chest. "My head hurts."

"That's what happens when you take shots like they're going out of style," Leon said with a chuckle. "I swear you've never done that before."

He felt her smile into his chest before she pulled away so she could see his face. "That's because when Dumb and Dumber are around, I have to get drunk quickly or stay sober the entire night." She heard her brother grunt at the nickname and smirked in triumph. "Yeah, that's right. I called you Dumb and Dumber. You can pick which one you are, you eavesdropping lunatic," she shouted toward the open door. Vince's stepped into the light of the bathroom, leaning his bulky frame against the doorjamb. Leon instantly pulled away, taking a step back so he was leaning against the bathroom wall. Michaela rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Hi Vince."

"Oh, hi Michaela," he answered in a sarcastically sweet voice. "Long time no see."

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She knew that tone of voice and knew what it meant. "I'm in trouble, huh?"

Vince nodded, his eyes serious as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Truck loads."

She rubbed at her forehead, trying to banish the headache that was making it hard to think. "Can I be in trouble in the morning?"

"Already is the morning, sis," he said with a smirk on his face.

Michaela glared at her brother. "Right," she whispered. "How about around noonish? I don't think I can handle you yelling right now."

Vince shrugged. "I'm free."

She pushed herself off from the counter she was leaning on, grabbed Leon's hand, and walked past Vince, pulling Leon behind her. "Good. I'll be in trouble around noonish. Right now, I'm going to bed," she tossed over her shoulder.

"Hey! Leon!" Vince shouted down the hall. Michaela winced at the volume of his voice and stopped walking. She squeezed Leon's hand reassuringly as he slowly turned around and nodded his head at Vince to show he was paying attention. Vince pointed at him and then at himself. "We need to talk," he said before turning and walking to his own room.

Leon turned around to face Michaela an accusing glare on his face. "You are trouble."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "I really wish you'd stop saying that."

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Thanks again for reading and please review!!!

~Love Ink


	15. Silly Boy

HOLY COW!! 104 REVIEWS!?!?! **You guys are the best!! **:) Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!!! I really appreciate it! :)

I've decided not to combine the stories...mostly because I'm too far in both of them to try and mess with them to get everything to fit the way I want it to. O.o

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Michaela

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**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 15: Silly Boy_

By: Love Ink

Leon woke up in Michaela's bed to find her gone. He jolted out of bed and sprinted towards the window. Her blue Corvette was still sitting in the driveway so she obviously hadn't left. He checked the time. Noon. He opened the door to the bedroom slightly and smirked when he heard the muffled fighting of the two siblings coming from downstairs. He wandered to the top of the stairs to listen in on the conversation.

"_Non puoi dirmi cosa fare," _she yelled at him throwing her hands in the air. "_Sono venti anni! __Sono in grado di fare tutto ciò che voglio_!" _(You can't tell me what to do! I'm twenty years old! I can do what I want!)_

"_Egli non e buono per voi,_ Michaela," Vince shouted before gesturing to the hallway. _(He's no good for you)_

To say he was surprised when he heard them speaking in Italian was an understatement, Leon was shocked. Michaela never let on that she knew any language other than English. And Vince? Who knew he was capable of retaining another language when he was barely fluent in his own!

"How do you know?" Michaela switched to English fluidly, her voice softer than usual.

"He usually has a different girl in his bed every night, Mickey. I just don't want you to get hurt," Vince said genuine care bleeding into his words.

She sighed and ran through her hair. "_Egli non mi ha fatto male, _Vince." _(He won't hurt me.)_

"And what makes you so sure of that?"

"I trust him."

"_Non si dovrebbe_." _(You shouldn't.)_

"Don't you think that's for me to choose?"

Vince sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He knew she was right, but he'd be damned if he was going to admit it. "Since when have you _ever _made good decisions, Michaela?"

"It doesn't have to be a good decision, Vince. It just has to be mine."

A small smile graced Vince's face as he looked at his younger sister. She was all grown up now, there was no denying that. Maybe he did have to let her go. "When did you grow up, _sorellina_? I swear it was yesterday I was kicking boys out of your closet." _(Little sister)_

Michaela snorted and rolled her eyes. "Vince, that _was _yesterday, remember?"

"Which reminds me there's someone else I have to talk to."

"_Sosta_, V! I thought we were past this! Remember, I'm a big girl now! I can make my own decisions and all that?" Michaela reasoned, folding her arms over her chest. _(Stop, V!)_

Vince sighed again and nodded. "_Va bene. _I guess you're right. I'm just going to go to work then." _(Okay.)_

Michaela narrowed her eyes suspiciously at her brother. It was far too easy to get him to agree with her. He hadn't even tried to fight her. "You're going to confront him at the garage, aren't you?" Michaela asked.

"Oh absolutely," he affirmed with a cheeky grin. He headed toward the door. "Have a nice day, Mickey. Tell Lee, I'll see him later," he said in a cheery voice before closing the door behind him.

"_Cretino," _she swore after him. She sighed and shook her head at his retreating form before turning to head up the stairs. _(Cretin.)_

Just as she stepped over the last stair, a pair of arms shot out and wrapped around her. She screamed in fright until she heard his Leon's low laughter. "Gotcha!"

She hit his bare chest; her face twisting into a scowl hat was eerily similar to Vince's. "Jeez, Lee! You scared the crap out of me!"

"That was the point," he said through his laughter.

"You think you're pretty funny, huh?" she asked, letting her hand rest on his peck.

He nodded, leaning forward to place a sound kiss on her lips. He quickly pulled away, cringing in pain. "Ouch! Shit Mickey! You scratched me!" he cried out, looking down at the four thin red lines on his peck.

Michaela shrugged and gave him a cheeky grin. "Oops."

At his murderous glance, she took off down the hallway. Leon sprinted after her, following her into her bedroom. Once he opened the door she had slammed behind her, he couldn't find her anywhere. "I know you're in here, Princess! I saw you," he said turning around on his heel to see if he could spot her.

Out of nowhere, she jumped on his back, wrapping her legs around his hips and blowing raspberries into his neck. "Get off me, you little Monkey!"

He turned his back to the bed and flopped down on it, on top of Michaela. He spread his arms out and just lay there on top of her, a wide grin on his face as she squealed and tried to push him off. "Damn you're heavy, Lee!" she exclaimed.

"What? I can't hear you, Princess! Where'd you go?"

Michaela hid a laugh at his silliness. "Get off me, fatty!"

Leon looked down at his toned abs and smirked. "Are you calling me fat?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed still pushing at his shoulders. "I'm having trouble breathing under here!"

"That's not what you said last night," he drawled as he rolled off of her.

Once again, a shocked look crossed her face. "That mouth is going to get you in trouble one day," she stated, smiling as he scooted closer to her.

"You know you love it," he murmured gently nuzzling her cheek with his nose.

Michaela reached out a hand to stroke the side of his face. "I do." It was as close to "I love you" as she dared to go at the moment.

"That's good," Leon said kissing her cheek. "I wouldn't want to have my ass kicked for someone who doesn't love it when I talk dirty."

She rolled her eyes at him and pushed his face away. "You're not going to get your ass kicked. He's just going to talk to you. You know, the standard "You break her heart, I'll break your neck" thing. He and Dominic use the same line all the time. Just say you'd never or something along those lines and you'll be fine. He won't hit you unless you say something stupid."

"In Italian or in English?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"English, duh," she said failing to pick up on his underlying question initially. Then a blush rose to her cheeks. "You eavesdropper!" she exclaimed, punching his arm. "You were listening in on our conversation!"

"Not like I could understand it," Leon said with a laugh. "Since when do you speak Italian?"

Michaela shrugged. "I don't know. Since I was little, I guess."

"How come you never said anything about it before?"

She shrugged again, her eyes guarded as though there was something she didn't want to tell him. "It never came up."

His eyes scrutinized her face wondering what had put her guard up. He decided it wasn't the best time to go into it; he didn't want to push her away by being too nosy. "Guess not. I think it's damn sexy, though."

"_Gratzi_e." _(Thank you.)_

"Ooh, say something else," he said pushing himself off the bed and grabbing his jersey off the ground and slipping it over his head.

"I'm not that great at it, Lee."

"Bull shit. I wouldn't know the difference any way. Please, before I leave," he asked, sticking his bottom lip out in a pout.

She stood from the bed and wrapped her arms loosely around his neck. "_Sei proprio uno scocciatore ma ti amo." __(You are a pest, but I love you.)_

"What's that mean?"

Standing on her tip toes, she planted a soft kiss on his mouth before shrugging. "It means; you're a pest." She wasn't about to tell him she loved him. She knew those words had the potential to send him running and that was the last thing she wanted.

"If you think I'm such a pest, then I'll leave," he said pulling away from her and heading toward the hallway.

Michaela caught his wrist in her hand and yanked him back into the room. "Get back here, silly. I'm not done with you yet," she said draping one arm over his shoulder while the other hand stroked his face. She kissed him once again and laughed as he began trailing sloppy kisses down her neck, his goatee tickling her neck. He blew a loud raspberry inter her neck and she squealed with laughter, pushing his head away from her neck. "Don't you have to go to work, silly boy?"

Leon glanced at her alarm clock quickly, his eyes widening. "Shit!" He placed a quick kiss on her mouth before heading out of her room.

Her laugh stopped him midway to the stairs and he turned to look at her, an eyebrow raised in question. "You might want to put some pants on first," she said, holding up his jeans by the belt loop. "I don't think Vince and Baldy will appreciate the view of you behind as much as I do."

He chuckled and jogged back to her, shaking his head at her statement. Slipping his pants on, he gave her a quick kiss before ruffling her hair and jetting off down the hall. "See ya later, Princess! Try not to miss me!" he called over his shoulder.

She watched him leave the house from the top of the stairs with a huge smile on her face. Try as she might, she couldn't stop smiling. "God, I love that boy," she said to herself with a giggle.

* * *

_Mi dispiace, _if the Italian sentences/translations are wrong or a little off. I did my best to consult multiple online dictionaries to make sure they somewhat made sense. :\ If the grammar is wrong, keep in mind Michaela and Vince aren't totally fluent (at least, in this story), so they're bound to make some mistakes, right? hehe

Anyways...Please review!!! Thanks again for being such wonderful readers (and reviewers)!!! :)

~Love Ink


	16. Fair Enough

Sorry for being such a slacker with the updating!! Here's a long chapter!!

Thanks so much for all your reviews!! :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Michaela

* * *

**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 16: Fair Enough_

By: LoveInk

Leon walked into the garage as quietly as possible. He could see Vince's boots under a car close to the open door and swiftly walked past him and into Dom's office in the hopes of going unnoticed. "Whatcha got for me?" he whispered to the bald man behind the desk.

"Leon, why are you whispering?" Dom asked, his voice louder than usual as though he was trying to alert the entire garage.

He heard Vince grunt as he pulled himself from under the car. "Great," Leon muttered under his breath as he saw the scruffy man walking towards him. "Thanks, Dom."

"Hey, she's my little sister too," Dom said with a shrug.

"We need to talk," Vince grunted toward Leon. Leon nodded solemnly; he knew this was coming. "Outside."

Jesse hid a laugh as Vince strode past his office, Leon trailing slowly behind him as though he was walking to his own hanging. Once they got outside, Vince sat down at the plastic table and motioned for Leon to sit across from him. He folded his hands over his stomach in a very "Godfather" like stature and scrutinized Leon through narrowed eyes. If he'd been in any other situation, Leon would've laughed, but he stopped himself._ As if Vince needed another reason to kick my ass_, he thought.

"So you and my sister, huh?" Vince started, cutting right down to the chase.

"What about us?" Leon asked, not knowing how to better answer the question.

Vince raised his eyebrows, his eyes darkening slightly and Leon cringed; wrong answer. The blue eyed man cleared his throat. "She's the ideal girl, isn't she? Here for a few weeks and then you'll never see her again. There's no strings attached. You must feel pretty damn lucky."

Leon scowled at Vince's assumption. "I don't see her like that."

"How _do_ you see her then? You've only known her for, what, three days?"

Something in Vince's expression told Leon he knew his relationship with Michaela went past the three days she'd been in LA. "I like her a lot, Vince. She's an amazing girl."

"That doesn't answer my question. Did you know her in Vegas or not?" he asked, deciding to be blunt. He knew Michaela would never admit to it and since he had intimidation on his side with Leon, he figured he'd ask him for the information he wanted.

Leon contemplated lying to him but quickly decided against it. He knew if he got caught in the lie, Vince would beat his face in. He grabbed a toothpick from his pocket, unwrapped it, and put it in his mouth trying to look as calm and collected as possible while he thought of what to say. "Yeah, I did."

"Figured as much," Vince muttered, shaking his head. "You know she's going back in a few weeks. What are you going to do when she's gone? Continue sleeping with random girls like before?"

Leon glared down at his feet rather than glaring at Vince. Of course he knew that. He'd been trying very hard not to forget about that one small detail. "I was thinking I'd wait for her came back."

"Last I heard, she wasn't planning on coming back."

"Last I heard, she was," he answered as he examined his fingernails. He could feel the shock radiating off of Vince and fought the urge to smirk at knowing something big brother didn't.

Vince faltered for a moment as he tried hard not to smile at the idea of his little sister coming back to stay. He was supposed to be scaring the crap out of Leon, not rejoicing at the fact he got Michaela to stay. "She tell you that?"

Leon nodded smoothly. "She said if I gave her a reason to stay, she would."

"And did you?"

He shrugged. "We'll find out, won't we?"

Vince narrowed his eyes at Leon, angry that he'd gotten the upper hand. "All I have to say is you break her heart and so help me God, I'll put a bullet through yours. I'm not kidding."

"That's not going to happen."

"Better not," Vince grunted, standing from the table and heading back into the garage.

Michaela skipped into Toretto's deli, a huge smile on her face as she sat down at the counter in front of Mia. Mia couldn't help but grin at the goofy look on her best friend's face. "Hey there, Smiley! Come to help?"

"If you need me. I got bored at home," Michaela explained with a shrug. "It not fun being alone in that house. You'd think V would've bought some video games or something."

Mia smirked. "Why would he? Jesse has them all at the fort. So how was your night with Leon?"

"I was sick for most of it," Michaela admitted with a groan. "Oh, and Vince caught us, so that was fun."

"Vince caught you!" Mia asked, her eyes wide. "Caught you doing what?" she added on a second note, prepared to be disgusted.

Michaela rolled her eyes. "Caught him taking care of me as I emptied my stomach into the toilet. It was really romantic," she answered sarcastically.

Mia giggled, shaking her head at her friend's antics. "So what did Vince do?"

"He yelled at me this morning, and I'm sure Leon's getting a good talking to right now, too."

"Should I get out the first aid kit?" Mia asked already stooping below the counter to grab the plastic box.

The look on Michaela's face told Mia she hadn't thought her brother would get physical with Leon. "I didn't even think of that! You don't think they got into it, do you?"

"I'm sure everything went fine. Leon's smart. He wouldn't piss off Vince intentionally," Mia comforted with a smile.

Michaela didn't look convinced. She knew her brother was more volatile than most and could get ticked off over the smallest thing. Leon could've rolled his eyes at the wrong moment or answered a question wrong and Vince would've smacked him in the face. "Intention has nothing to do with it. You know Vince, anything can set him off!"

"Calm down, Mickey. Leon isn't dumb. I'm sure he'll know when to duck." Mia giggled at that earning herself a death glare from Mickey. "Are you here to help me or what?" she questioned, gracefully changing the subject.

Michaela let out a long, tortured sigh as she stood from the bar stool. "I guess so. What do you need?"

"We just got a shipment of Corona in the back. Can you shelve them?"

She nodded, yes and trudged dramatically to the back. Mia giggled while rolling her eyes. She had missed her friend a lot when she had left to Vegas. Sure, she still had Letty to talk to, but Michaela listened better and was someone she could talk to about boys without being grossed out by stories about her brother. "So tell me about you and Lee. How'd you two meet?"

"We lived on the same floor for awhile," Michaela answered, setting down the box of bottles with a grunt. "We met randomly one day, he introduced me to Jess, and I got them jobs at the club. We spent every day together."

"And when did you two fall for each other? Was it love at first sight? Did he romance you?" Mia asked, her mind working through all sorts of romantic scenarios.

Michaela's laugh rang through the shop. Love at first sight? Yeah, right. "It happened by accident actually."

"By _accident_? Lame!" Mia proclaimed, disappointment in her voice. "What happened?"

"We got stuck on that damn roof." Michaela grinned as she relived the memory in her head.

"_Do we have everything?" Leon asked, laughing as they trudged up the stairs. Under one arm, he held a portable grill; the other held the charcoal for it. Michaela was carrying the lighter fluid, a blanket, and some pillows while Jesse followed close behind with two cases of Corona. As they exited the door, Jesse carefully placed a cinderblock in the doorway to keep the door from locking them out._

_They threw the stuff down next to the three lounge chairs they'd brought up weeks before. Michaela set up the pillows and chairs while Leon set up the grill. "Jess, did you buy the marshmallows?" she asked, looking up at him from her seat on the chair. _

"_Oh shit! I totally forgot! I'll be right back." Jesse ran toward the door, knocking over the cinderblock in the process._

"_Jesse! No!" Leon and Michaela shouted together, but it was too late; they were locked out. _

_Leon got up at once, rushing to the door and pulling on it as hard as he could. He kept at it until Michaela's laughter stopped him. He looked over at her to find her sitting on the ground, doubled over laughing. "Is something funny? We're locked out!" he asked, gesturing towards the door._

"_I know! It's like something straight out of FRIENDS!" she exclaimed through her laughter. "Good thing I'm not attracted to you or else we might have a problem." She was lying through her teeth and she knew it. She'd had a crush on the god that was standing before her since the day she'd met him._

_He paused briefly on his trek toward her, an unknown emotion flickering across his bottle-green eyes. Was it disappointment? It couldn't be, she told herself. Leon didn't feel that way about her. "Right? Those booty shorts don't attract me at all," he answered with a slow smile that practically stopped her heart. _

_Leon opened a Corona and offered it to her. She took it and downed it quickly as they sat in an uncomfortable silence. Silence was rare in their relationship since Michaela could start up a conversation about anything at anytime and if there ever was silence, it was never awkward like it was at that moment. The silence persisted as did Michaela's drinking. An hour passed and she had finished off her third Corona already feeling the effects of the alcohol in her system. She turned to Leon, a wide grin spreading across her face. "What are you thinking about, silly boy?"_

"_Nothing," he answered from his place on the lawn chair next to her. He stretched out, putting his hands under his head. He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes noticing the way she had her arms wrapped around her knees, her jaw clenched tightly. "What's up with you?" he asked, an eyebrow raised._

"_I'm fine," she murmured, her teeth chattering slightly._

"_Really? Cause you look like you're freezing," he said with a chuckle. "Maybe you should've worn something more than booty shorts and a jersey." He paused for a second and studied said jersey before scowling. "Hey! That's mine! I want that back!"_

_Michaela gave him a devilish smile as she stood up. "You want it back?"_

"_Yeah, that's what I said. I would like my jersey back. Would you like me to say it in another language?"_

"_Do you _know_ another language?" she asked, her curiosity derailing her from her previous plans._

_He shook his head slowly. "No. Do you?"_

_She shrugged, deciding to keep that information to herself. "Possibly. Do you want your shirt back or not?" _

"_I do!" he exclaimed, sitting up from his relaxed position._

"_All right, you asked for it," Michaela said pulling her hair tie out of her hair and letting it fall around her. She walked over to him using the sexy walk she'd learned from her show while slowly taking off the jersey. Once she got to him, she straddled him as she swung the jersey over her head. "Here you go," she whispered, her lips just inches from his. She was testing him to see if what she had seen in his eyes before was in fact disappointment or if she had been wrong._

"_You're drunk," he accused with a smirk._

"_I'm not." She shook her head, tilting it to the side as she studied him. There was an uncertainty in his eyes that made her think she might have a chance. _

_His hands found her hips, gripping them gently as his thumbs traced small circles over the skin just above the waistline of her tiny shorts, igniting a fire in her veins. "What are you doing, Blue?" His hand reached up to push a stray hair out of her face leaving her skin tingling in it wake._

_Michaela met his eyes holding them as she turned her head and placed a kiss on his palm. His other hand left her hip and tangled into her hair, bringing her face closer to his. "Stop me if I have the wrong idea," he murmured before catching her lips with his own. _

_She grinned into his kiss, tangling her own hands into his hair. His mouth was minty from the countless toothpicks and gum he was always chewing on. That was his thing though. He was always chewing on something, be it gum or a toothpick or food, Leon wasn't content unless he had something to chew on. She giggled as his kisses trailed down the column of her neck. "I thought you weren't attracted to me," he murmured against the soft skin there._

"_I lied," she answered, pulling his hair so he'd look at her. "I am very," she kissed his lips quickly, "very," another kiss, "attracted to you."_

_He chuckled softly. "Good," he whispered against her lips before going in for another kiss._

_It wasn't until they heard Jesse's voice that they realized he'd come onto the roof. "Well, this is new," the blonde stated, kicking the cinderblock back into place._

"What happened after that kiss?" Mia asked, completely entranced by the story.

Michaela shrugged. "It was awkward for awhile. We stayed away from each other as much as we could. Jesse got annoyed because we never hung out any more so he cooked up this elaborate hoax to lock us on the roof again. He sat guard in front of the door and wouldn't let us come out til we made up."

"And did you?"

She nodded, a naughty smile spreading across her face. "Lee and I are like fire and gasoline. You put us alone together and something's bound to happen. We fought for an hour and then made up for another hour."

"On the _roof_, Michaela?" Mia asked in disbelief.

Mickey shrugged. "Jesse was guarding the door."

"You dirty girl!" she exclaimed before her awestruck face settled into a smug smile. "I knew it, though! I could tell by the way he looked at you. Right from the start, he had this look in his eyes that I'd _never_ seen before!"

Michaela ignored Mia as she continued to ramble about how right she had been and focused on shelving the amber bottles that were sitting in the box next to her. Over the years, she'd gotten used to tuning Mia out when she went on her rambles. She learned that to understand what she was talking about, you only had to listen to the first sentence and then last two words of the last sentence. If they had changed dramatically, she'd missed something. If not, Mia had just rambled about the same thing for the whole time she was talking.

"And I knew it!" Mia exclaimed finally after ten minutes of rambling.

Michaela grinned. Good, she hadn't missed anything. "Yep! So what's new in your love life, Mi? Seeing anybody?"

"God no," Mia answered with a scowl. "I wish. I just haven't found anyone worth my time."

"That's because you're too picky."

"I can't help it if I want a blue eyed surfer babe to come in through those doors and sweep me off my feet," Mia answered, completely serious. "You think it'll ever happen?"

"You and your surfer babes," Michaela muttered under her breath before addressing the question. "Not exactly like that, but I'm sure you'll find someone. If not, you always have Vince or Jesse."

Mia waded up a napkin and chucked it at her. "That's not funny!"

"Hey, if you marry Vince and Letty marries Dom, we'll all be sisters!" Michaela joked with fake excitement.

"You're nuts. Vince and I would _kill_ each other!"

"I guess you're right." Michaela laughed, shaking her head at Mia as she put the last bottle on the shelf. "I'm done with this, Mi. Anything else?"

"Nope. The boys and Let are coming. I can hear their engines."

"Move!" Michaela shouted, darting under the counter. She sat down, leaning her back against the shelves there. "Don't tell anyone I'm here."

Mia sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Mickey, this never turns out well."

"You shush!"

Michaela heard the boys shuffle in all asking for different things and going different places. She heard two people sit down at the bar and grinned when she heard her brother's voice. "Where's Mickey?"

"No clue," Mia said nudging Michaela's thigh. "Coronas, boys?"

"I'll take a glass of water," Vince stated shocking everyone that was in listening distance. "Please."

Mia sat one down in front of him, looking at him as though he'd grown an extra head. She popped open a Corona for Leon and set it in front of him. "Hows your day going, Lee?"

Leon looked at her skeptically. "Fine. Why?"

"No reason, I just heard you and Vince had a little chat. How'd that go? Any juicy details you don't want Michaela to know about?" Mia asked innocently. She held back a wince as Michaela pinched her leg for being so obvious.

Vince let out a long sigh as he picked up his glass of water. "Here, Mi. I changed my mind, I want a Corona." He held out his glass so it was on Mia's side of the counter before tipping it over. "Oops!"

Leon's eyes widened in surprised at the move until he heard a loud curse as Michaela popped up from behind the counter covered in water. "When are you going to learn you can't hide from me, sis?" Vince asked through his laughter.

"Lee, can I get a sip of that?" Michaela asked calmly, nodding at the Corona bottle.

Leon nodded, eyeing her skeptically. "Sure, go ahead."

"Thanks." She grabbed the bottle and turned it over on her brother's head. Vince sat there in shock as the amber liquid poured down his face. Vince chuckled as Michaela put the empty bottle down. She raised an eyebrow at him. "What are you laughing at?"

"Oh, just how dead you are going to be in about five seconds."

"I'd run if I were you," Letty advised with a chuckle.

Michaela took her friend's advice and started running just as Vince jumped off the stool. She sprinted into the back of the shop with Vince hot on her heels. Mia followed after them with a roll of her eyes. "Every time they're in the shop together, they wind up making a mess!" she muttered to herself. "When will I learn?"

Leon and Jesse watched the whole event slightly amused. "So I'm guessing the talk went well?" Jesse questioned with a grin.

"I'm still alive, aren't I?" Leon asked sarcastically. He could hear Michaela screaming in the back and wondered briefly if he should intervene. "Not that I can say the same for Mickey."

Dom strode into the shop with Michaela thrown over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She hung there in defeat, an elbow propped on his shoulder blade so she wasn't just hanging upside down. Mia followed close behind, leading Vince by one of his ears. Mustard covered Vince's dark blue shirt and hair while Michaela had ketchup smeared all over her face. "Out! Both of you!" Mia said pushing Vince towards the car.

"You can put me down now you big, bald troll," Michaela stated with a loud sigh.

"Where do you want this?" Dom asked Vince, completely ignoring Michaela.

Vince chuckled as he grabbed Michaela's keys out of her back pocket. "Dump her in the Corvette. I'll drive."

"Hey! That's my car! You do _not_ get to drive my car after squirting ketchup in my face!" Michaela protested, kicking and hitting Dom as he walked toward the parking lot.

"Say goodbye, Michaela," Dom ordered patronizingly.

"Put me down!" she yelled.

"All right," Dom said, dumping her into the Corvette's open cabin.

Michaela stuck her tongue out at him before turning toward her mustard covered brother. "This is all your fault, you know."

"Is not! You shouldn't have been hiding there!" Vince exclaimed, starting the car with a flick of his wrist.

She stuck her tongue out of him as she buckled her seat belt. "You're a total dick," she stated with a roll of her eyes. "Anyways, how'd the convo with Leon go?"

Vince shrugged, unwilling to admit that it actually went pretty well. "Apparently, you'll stay if he gives you a reason to. That true?"

Michaela sighed and ran her hands through her disgusting, ketchup covered hair. "My contract ends at the end of next month. I'm just not happy in Vegas anymore, so I thought maybe I'll be happier here."

"With Leon," Vince finished, giving his sister a knowing smile."Is he the reason you're not happy in Vegas anymore?" he questioned, stopping in front of their house.

A small smile crossed her face as she nodded. "Probably. V, I really like him, and I know that you don't want me to be with him and that you think he's a manwhore but--"

"Does he make you happy?" Vince interjected, holding up a hand to stop Michaela's rambling.

"What?"

He sighed. "Does Leon make you happy?"

Her smile widened, igniting a happy glimmer in her eyes. "Yeah. Yeah, he does."

"And because of him, there's a possibility you might stay?"

Michaela glanced at her brother suspiciously. "Yes."

"Then I'm okay with it," Vince said with a shrug. "If he steps out of line, though, I'm going to bash his face in with or without your permission."

She knew that would never happen. Leon, manwhore that he was when he wasn't with her, was a very loyal boyfriend. He always had been. When they were together, she'd never once caught him looking at another girl. With that in mind, she rolled her eyes at her brother and said, "Fair enough."

* * *

So...what do you think??

Leave me a review and let me know! :)

Thanks! You guys are the best! :D

~Love Ink


	17. An Offer

Thanks to everyone who reviewed!! I really appreciate you're encouraging words! You guys are awesome!

I really, really, really like this chapter. A lot. And I hope you do too!!!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Michaela and other characters you don't recognize :)

* * *

**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 17: An Offer_

By: LoveInk

Vince watched his sister walk down the stairs with an eyebrow raised. Her hair was pulled back into a neat bun and from what he could see; it looked like she was wearing a leotard. When she stepped off the last step, he realized he was correct. She was wearing a strappy black leotard with a short blue skirt wrapped around her waist and pale pink tights. She had a pair of black slipper boots in her hand. "Where the hell are you going?" he asked.

"Dance studio," she stated as though it wasn't a rare occurrence. And it hadn't been before when she lived there. Growing up, Michaela went to the dance studio four to five times a week, more when she finally got her license at the shocking age of eighteen. The studio owner, Mrs. Chatlier, had taught Michaela since she was five years old and treated her as though she was her own daughter.

He remembered the first time he'd seen her perform on stage. At five years old, she didn't do very much and the whole recital was boring as hell but the way Michaela's face glowed when she was doing her awkward jumps and _plies_ was worth it. The stage was truly Michaela's element and as much as Vince hated watching other people do ballet, he liked watching his sister just to see that look on her face.

"What's that face for?" Michaela questioned bringing him back to reality.

Vince shrugged. "Just memories."

"Aww! Is big brother getting all sentimental?" Michaela asked, leaning over the back of the couch and wrapping her arms around Vince's shoulders. "Don't cry, Vinny. It'll ruin your image."

"Get off me!" he growled rolling his shoulders to emphasize his statement.

She giggled, placed a kiss on his cheek, and ruffled his hair. "I love you, Vince."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Michaela skipped out the door and toward her Corvette, excited to start dancing again. She had gone three days without a serious dance session and had missed it. The dance studio looked the same as it always had with her teacher's grey Buick parked in the same spot it had always been in.

The classes were over and the studio was dark save for the light from the office. Michaela walked towards the brown windowed door and knocked. The old lady at the desk jumped slightly before a large smile spread across her wrinkled face. "Michaela, _mon petit diable_! _Entrer! Entrer_!" she exclaimed in her heavy French accent. (_Michaela, my little devil! Come in! Come in!)_

"Hey Gigi! I thought I'd get some pointe time in," Michaela said holding up a pair of blue pointe shoes. Their color was unique. Gigi had ordered them especially for her as a going away present before she moved to Vegas. "I haven't done ballet in forever."

Gigi nodded. "Why of course! You go and dance and then we'll talk. _D'accord_?" (_All right?)_

"_Oui_," Michaela answered, using one out of the four French words she knew. (_Yes.)_

She opened the door of the old dance studio and breathed in the familiar musty smell of the mirrored room. She remembered when she thought both mirrored walls were just mirrors, now she knew one was a window where the parents watched. Sighing, she set her bag down on the ground and sat down next to it. Tugging off her boots, she slipped on her pointe shoes, smiling at the familiar feel of the rubbery toe guard inside. The satin straps provided her with a soothing feeling as she ran them through her fingers before wrapping them carefully around each ankle.

The stereo remote rested on the bench and Michaela gently picked it up and flipped it to the first CD. It was some classical CD she was unfamiliar with, so she sat for awhile and let the notes wash over her. Finally, she stood, positioned herself in front of the mirror, and let loose.

The CD finished and the hum of the player as it switched to the next, pulled Michaela from her dance zone. With a happy sigh, she sat back down on the floor and bent to untie her shoes. She let out a hiss of pain as she pulled off the first one, frowning when she saw the raw blisters on her feet. She grimaced; those would hurt in the morning.

She changed quickly in the supply closet before heading out of the room. Gigi was standing by the window of the dance studio, a proud smile on her face. "You still have it, _mon cheríe_. When did you get so good? I swear it was just yesterday you were five and sitting in the corner because you pulled down little Mia Toretto's tutu and made her cry."

"Well, that's because she did a better _plie_ than me," Michaela stated with an unashamed grin.

Gigi laughed before letting out a long sigh. "You know I'm retiring this year."

Michaela felt her heart drop in her chest and tears spring to her eyes at the idea. "Oh no, Gigi! You can't do that!"

"I'm too old, Kayla. I can't leap around like I used to. I need some fresh blood in this place. Do you like children, Michaela?"

"Yeah sure, I love kids," she answered surprised by the random question.

Gigi nodded slowly. "And you love to dance?"

"Of course."

"And you're a good teacher, if I remember correctly from our summer dance camps."

Michaela shrugged, still not following. "I guess. Where are you going with this, Geeg?"

"I have a proposition for you, _mon cheríe_."

Michaela drove as fast as she could to the Toretto house to make it on time for dinner. She rounded the corner and pulled into the driveway, her eyes searching for a familiar car. Frowning, she walked through the open door to the fort to see the whole team minus one sitting at the table. "Where's Lee?" she asked on a breath.

"Nice to see you too, Mickey. Our days were great, how was yours?" Vince drawled out with a smirk.

"You're late, Micks! The food is cold!" Mia exclaimed from her seat.

Dom frowned and shook his head at her. "We've already said Grace. You know what that means."

"Lee's still at the garage," Letty answered her question with a roll of her eyes.

"Thank you, Let!" Michaela shouted over the other voices. "He coming home anytime soon?"

Jesse shook his head. "No," he said around a bite of spaghetti. He then proceeded to go into detail about what was wrong with the Acura Leon was working on and why it would keep him busy for a long time.

By the time he was finished, Michaela's eyes were glazed over. "I'm guessing that means no," she said before turning on her heel and heading back out the door. "I'm gonna go get us food!" she called over her shoulder. "We'll be back late!"

"Ten o'clock curfew, young lady!" Vince yelled back at her. His only response was the slamming of the door. Mia and Letty rolled their eyes at him and he shrugged. "Hey, I had to try."

Letty threw a piece of bread at him. "Dork."

Leon hit the wrench against the engine with a frustrated growl. "What is wrong with you?" he shouted, pulling at his hair.

A giggle broke his concentration, and he scanned the shop to see where it had come from. His eyes landed on Michaela where she was leaning against the office doorjamb wearing a pair of sweatpants, a tight black tank, and one of his zip-up hoodies that was so big for her, one sleeve had slipped down her shoulder. Her long dark hair cascaded down her back in a mess of waves. "Hey cutie," she greeted him with a smile as he approached her. She stood on her tip toes and caught his lips in a quick kiss. "Food?"

He hadn't noticed the grease-stained bag in her hand until she'd brought it up. His stomach gurgled as the smell of Chinese food assaulted his nose. "You are amazing!" he exclaimed grabbing her around the waist, lifting her into the air, and spinning her around.

"I know, I know," she said with a bright smile. "Now put me down! I'm hungry too!"

He set her down gently on the old worn couch before pulling the bag into his lap. He handed her a small box before grabbing one himself. He opened it up and a huge smile spread across his face. "Walnut shrimp! God, I love you!"

Michaela froze with her forkful of chow mein hanging between the white box and her mouth. He had said it. Those three little words. True, he hadn't really meant it to be romantic, he was just thankful for the food, but the words still meant the same to her. He hadn't noticed the slip since he was currently fishing around the box for a walnut, so she played it off as nothing and shoved her food into her mouth. "How was the talk with Vince?" she asked casually. "I heard you fared pretty well."

Leon nodded, standing to grab Coronas from the fridge by the office. "It was going downhill until I mentioned you might be staying," he answered, handing her the cold bottle. "He liked that."

"He's been trying to get me to stay here since I left," she said with a light laugh as she kicked off her flip flops and brought her knees up to her chest.

His eyes fell on her feet and widened in surprise. "Holy crap, Michaela! What did you do to your toes?"

She curled her toes slightly so they'd be hidden underneath her sweats. A small blush crept onto her face. "Pointe shoes. These aren't so bad yet. Have you ever seen a ballerina's feet? They're disgusting."

"I can only imagine," he answered pulling a face at her blistered toes.

Michaela smacked him lightly and stuck her tongue out at him. "Maybe I'll take my ugly feet and the food back to my place and eat by myself," she stated, grabbing the box out of his hand.

He grabbed it back, shaking his head. "I think your blistered feet are gorgeous. Ballet, huh? Since when do you do ballet?"

"Since I was in kindergarten. Mr. Toretto used to take Mia and me every week. When we finally got to pointe, Mia saw the blisters and chickened out, but I kept it up. I love ballet, ugly feet and all. I went to my old dance studio to get some practice time in."

"How was that?"

Michaela shrugged. "Fine. My old ballet teacher is retiring so that's sad. She _did_ offer me her job, though." She mumbled the last part on purpose to see if Leon was paying attention.

Leon's eyes looked up from his food and met hers. They shone with happiness as they processed her final sentence. "She offered you a job. Here."

"Yes, here."

"Which would mean you'd move back here," he clarified.

A slow smile spread across Michaela's face. "Well, I can't exactly commute all the way over here from Vegas now, can I?"

Leon gently set his container on the ground before launching himself on her and devouring her lips with his own. Michaela let her box fall to the floor; she'd clean it up later, she reasoned as his lips trailed kisses down her neck. She laughed as his kisses turned into raspberries before he pulled away. "You're staying then," he said, the biggest smile she'd ever seen on his face. "Forever?"

"I have to go back in two weeks, Lee," she said, frowning as she looked down at her hands. "Will you wait? I mean, I know there's a bunch of other girls who are ready and willing to…um…service you here, so I'll understand if you want to…you know."

"Are you crazy?" he asked with a laugh. "Baby, I don't want anyone else to "service" me but you."

"Even with my ugly ballet feet?"

Leon chuckled and grabbed her foot, placing a kiss on top of it. "Even with your ugly feet."

"I hear their cars," Mia said from her seat on the couch. After dinner, the team had sat down in their usual spots in the living room to watch a movie. Letty, Dom, and Jesse were the only ones paying attention to the movie, however. Vince and Mia were more focused on looking out the window for the first sign of the missing duo.

Mia watched as the Skyline pulled into their driveway and Michaela's Corvette pulled into her own driveway. Leon leant casually against the trunk of his Skyline, arms folded over his chest as he watched Michaela dance across the street. Mia waited for Michaela to run to him and Leon to catch her in his arms and spin her around like in the movies. No such luck. Michaela merely skipped up to Leon and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

It wasn't the romantic kiss Mia was waiting for but she couldn't help the warm mushy feeling in her stomach when a slow smile spread across Leon's face before he pulled her in for a hug and kissed her temple. Michaela reached down and linked her pinky with his before pulling him toward the house. Leon made a show of dragging his feet before pulling her in for another kiss. "Damn, they're cute," Mia murmured to herself.

Jesse snorted, rolling his eyes. He knew well that if Michaela and Leon knew they were being watched, they probably wouldn't be showing so much affection. They were an affectionate couple, true, but they kept most of the kissing and groping private. The most Jesse had ever seen from the couple was a brief peck on the cheek and lots of innocent touching. Michaela might lean her head on Leon shoulder while he rubbed the small of her back or he might squeeze her side or flick her nose. Cutesy things that usually made Jesse want to vomit but was better than the heavy PDA he'd seen sometimes at the races and after parties from other couples.

The couple strode through the door as though nothing was new. They didn't seem to notice or care about the five pairs of eyes on them as they sat down in front of the beat up couch. Michaela sat down first, Leon in front of her so that one of her knees was bent on either side of his body. He leant against her chest, one hand on her thigh, the other searching his pocket for a toothpick. She was preoccupied with his hair, letting her fingers drag along his scalp as she watched the movie before her.

Letty glanced quickly at Vince, waiting for him to explode, but he looked cool as a cucumber. He tousled Michaela's hair gently in greeting before his focus was on the movie. She exchanged a shocked glance with Mia. Mia shrugged a shoulder before sending Letty a content smile; her family was finally all together and happy in one place.

Leon loved being so close to her. He leant his head against her shoulder and placed a discreet kiss on Michaela's cheek. Her cheek warmed in a blush underneath his lips and she tilted her head to press a kiss to his temple. A sharp pain made her jerk back. She sent a dirty glare to Vince who was staring at the TV as though he hadn't just pulled her hair, a hint of a smile turning up the corner of his mouth. She rolled her eyes at her brother and resumed playing with Leon's hair. For once in her life, everything was perfect. And then her phone rang.

* * *

You like???

Let me know in a review!! :)

~Love Ink


	18. My World

Here's another chapter!! :)

Thanks for reading and reviewing!! You guys are amazing!! :D

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Michaela

* * *

**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 18: My World_

By: LoveInk

The entire room groaned as the annoying 80's song filled the room. Michaela rolled her eyes as she felt the vibration of her phone in her pocket. "My bad!" she exclaimed, gently pushing on Leon's back to get him to move. "Get up, Lee. I need to answer the phone before someone shoots me."

Leon reluctantly sat forward to let her go by. She ruffled his hair as she skipped towards the front door. "Pause?" Vince asked, gesturing to the movie.

Michaela glanced back at the screen, mulling over the idea while her phone vibrated in her hand. "Nah. I already know they pull it off somehow."

"Michae_la_," Jesse groaned. He hadn't seen the movie yet, and was really excited to see if the characters pulled of the heist or not.

"Sorry, Jess!" she yelled, closing the front door behind her before answering her phone. "Hello?"

"Michaela," her boss's voice said in greeting; the low, smooth sound of it sent shivers down her spine.

She swore under her breath and glanced nervously at the house behind her where the whole team had erupted in laughter over something that happened in the movie. "Hold on a sec," she said as she sprinted across the street and into her house. There was no way she was chancing the team hearing her conversation. Once she was in the house, safely out of hearing range, she sank down into the plush leather couch. "Rick," she answered, trying to keep her voice steady. He only called when she was in trouble, and at that moment, there were a lot of things she could be in trouble for.

"How is the LA sun treating you, Miss Catella?" he asked slyly.

Her heart stopped beating in her chest. He knew. He knew she was in LA. Taking a deep breath, she decided to play it cool. "I wouldn't know, Rick. I'm in San Francisco, remember?" she questioned, letting out a nervous laugh.

"Oh I remember where you're supposed to be, Michaela; I'm just wondering why you're not there. You see, I called the hotel I set you and Emma up with and they only had one girl check in. Curious, isn't it? So I figured I'd have a friend search for your license plate, and what do you know? You're in Los Angeles. With your brother, I presume?"

Another chill ran down Michaela's spine. She'd always kept her family and work separate out of fear that if she made a mistake, they'd be the ones to pay. So how could he possibly know about Vince? "What?"

"Your brother, Vincent Catella? You know, the man you share a few alleles with?"

"Yeah, you know, I haven't seen him in awhile, and San Francisco was not what I thought it would be so I thought I'd drive down to LA to visit him," she rambled on nervously as she raked her fingers through her hair. "I didn't think I was restricted to a certain place while on vacation."

Rick let out a low, menacing chuckle. "You aren't, my dear. There is just one thing I have a problem with."

"And what's that?" she questioned. There was no way he knew about Leon. He couldn't. That was impossible!

"Leon Donati."

Michaela felt sick to her stomach. She took a deep breath, her hands shaking as she tugged on the ends of her hair. There was no way to prevent her voice from shaking as she asked, "How could you—How did you know?"

"Oh my innocent baby Blue," Rick sighed into the phone. Michaela grimaced, she hated when he called her that. With a soft, evil chuckle, he went on. "When I found out you were in LA, I immediately searched for where Mr. Donati was and what do you know? You two are in the same place. Echo park, Los Angeles. This isn't pure coincidence, Michaela. What the hell were you thinking? I told you to stay away from him!" he growled, hatred in his smooth voice.

"I didn't know he was here!" she cried into the phone. "I swear I didn't!"

"I give you girls a vacation thinking you'll have fun and relax and you go and mess it all up!" he reprimanded. "You know what I'm going to say, Michaela."

She gasped in pain, feeling as though a knife had been stabbed into her chest. "No," she managed to say, her broken voice sounding alien to her ears. "No, I can't…I can't leave him, Rick. I can't do it. You don't understand!" She was in hysterics now, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I can't just leave him again."

"You can and you will. You have forty-eight hours before Mr. Colletti picks you up. There is no way you are driving back alone," he replied curtly before hanging up the phone.

The phone fell out of Michaela's trembling hand as more tears clouded her vision. Pain flooded her senses as she thought of what she had to do and how she was going to do it. She brought her knees to her chest before wrapping her arms around them and placing her forehead against them. What had she done to deserve this? She was happy and everything was perfect and in the two minutes she'd talked to Rick, everything had come undone.

The knock on the door pulled her out of the ball she'd folded herself up in. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she headed upstairs to her bathroom and slammed the door; everyone she cared about had a key and would just let themselves in anyway. She splashed water on her face to try and cool it down before whoever was at the door came in. "Pull it together, Mickey," she murmured to herself, raking both hands through her hair.

"Shorty? Where are you?" Leon's voice resonated through the empty house.

"Shit," she cursed under her breath. She wiped at her nose and cleared her throat. "I'm up here!" she yelled, her voice shaking. _Damn it_, she thought, _he'll see right through me. _Quickly she took off her sweats and got into the shower. It'd be easier to talk to him if she couldn't see his face. Turning on the shower, she realized with surprise that she was still in her tank top and boy shorts. "Shit," she murmured again as she tried to avoid the stream of water coming from the showerhead.

Leon could hear the shower running and raised an eyebrow; she was supposed to be talking on the phone, not taking a shower. He knocked on the door and entered the bathroom without waiting for permission. "Shorty?" he questioned, sitting on top of the toilet that was next to the shower.

"Yeah?" she asked, trying to keep her voice smooth and even.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking a shower."

It was her answer that confirmed Leon's suspicion that all was not right in Michaela's world. If she'd been seriously taking a shower, he would've gotten a sassy comment like 'What does it sound like' or 'I'm playing tennis' in response, not the simple answer she'd just given him. "What happened to your phone call?" he asked nonchalantly.

"It was Emmy. She was telling me how she just took a nice relaxing bath and I thought it didn't sound half bad," Michaela lied on the spot.

"So you took a _shower_." He didn't sound convinced. "What's going on, Shorty?" She let out a long sigh before turning off the water and opening the shower curtain. Leon didn't look at all surprised to see her standing there in a simple white tank and blue boy short undies. This wasn't the first time she tried to hide from him in the shower. At least this time, she took off her sweats.

Just looking at him brought fresh tears to her eyes. She looked down, hoping he wouldn't notice. "Nothing's wrong. I'm fine," she muttered, the words coming out choked as her throat constricted with her tears.

Leon shook his head in disbelief as he helped her out of the tub. He gently put his fingers under her chin to tilt her face up so their eyes met. "Is that why you're in the shower, half clothed and crying?"

"He found out," she gasped, running a hand through her hair. She sniffed again, looking up at him with pained eyes. "He found out, and I have to go back."

He felt the world slip out from underneath him and had to sit down before he fell down. Sitting down on the toilet, he let his head fall into his hands. "No," he said, shaking his head from side to side. "Not again." He didn't want to lose her. He couldn't. Not again. Not now. He felt anger bubble up inside of him. How could she leave so willingly? It was like she didn't even want to stay!

She could see his shoulders tense as he clenched his fists in anger. His anger shocked her. Why was he angry? She hadn't done anything wrong! "I have to, Lee. It's my job. I'm under contract," she explained quietly.

"Fuck the contract, Michaela. I'm so sick of hearing about your stupid ass contract!" he exclaimed, sending a glare her way. Anger made his green eyes darker than usual. "That man is controlling your life and you're just letting him do it! I thought you were stronger than that! You _should_ be stronger than that!"

Michaela gasped; that comment had stung. She'd always considered herself a strong woman and having someone she cared so much about tell her she wasn't, hurt more than anything. "Shut up, Leon!" she shouted at him, trying hard to keep her angry tears at bay. "Rick is a mob boss! If I were to tell him I'm not going back despite what the contract says, who _knows_ what he'd do! He could come _here_, Lee! He's already sending Pete so he obviously knows where we are! I'm not about to risk it!"

"Risk what, Michaela?" Leon's voice bounced off the walls of the small bathroom as he stood up leaving the toilet seat shaking in his wake. "We are perfectly capable of handling ourselves! Or have you not seen your brothers' records? They've both done time, Michaela. I'm sure they're capable of taking care of themselves and the girls!"

She let out a light laugh at his nerve as she took a step toward him. Standing in front of him, her head barely cleared his shoulder, but the look in her eyes told him that he'd better take her seriously. "I am _not_ putting my family in jeopardy whether they can handle it or not," she said through clenched teeth. She picked her pants off the ground before pushing past him, glaring at him as she headed towards her room.

Leon stalked after her, grabbing her wrist and pulling it so she had no choice to turn and face him. She glared up at him, her eyebrows raised in silent question. Regret flooded through him as he saw the way her blue eyes regarded him with a mixture of anger and sadness. "We can handle it."

"No," she insisted, her chin jutting up obstinately, a move Leon knew well since it was eerily similar to what her brother did when he was being stubborn. "Now get out."

"Not until you explain why." If she was being stubborn, he could be stubborn too.

"Why?" she seethed. "Why? You want to know why I don't want to put my family at risk for being attacked by mafia hit men?"

He nodded. "Yes."

Michaela resisted the urge to slap him. Why didn't he understand? "Because they—Vince, Dom, Letty, Mia, and Jesse—are all I have left here! I have lost my mom, my dad, Mr. Toretto, Mrs. Toretto, the aunt who raised me, everyone! Those five people I have left that are _alive_ mean everything to me! And now he _knows_ they exist! So if I step one foot out of line, he's coming for _them_."

Leon wasn't dumb; he had realized one important name was missing. "What about me?"

"You," she said, sticking a finger into his chest, "when you're not being a total asshole, are my world."

He fought the urge to smile and pull her into a hug. It was something that happened often when they fought. She always managed to slip in some cheesy comment that made him want to forget whatever it was they were fighting about, take her into his arms, and never let go. "I'm your world, huh?" he questioned.

The low, gruff timbre of his voice set her body aflame. The anger had vanished from his eyes and a smug look crossed his face. With a bashful smile, she nodded. "Yeah, you are," she whispered, reaching up to loop her arms around his neck. "But only when you're not being an asshole."

Leon scowled at her as he wrapped his arms around her torso, pulling her closer to him. "I'm sorry," he murmured into her hair. "I _was_ being an asshole."

"I concur," she agreed with a small grin. This was the way their relationship had always worked. One second they were fighting and the next, they weren't. It was always a roller coaster of emotions with Leon, but that was why she loved him so much; he made life exciting. She never knew what to expect with him and he never ceased to surprise her.

Stepping onto her tip-toes, she caught his lips with her own, fusing them together in a passionate kiss. His strong arms caught her behind the knees and lifted her up into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck, giggling as he carried her to the bed and dumped her on it. He lay down next to her, wrapping an arm around her waist and laying his head on her shoulder, his face nuzzling into her neck. "What if I came with you?" he whispered against her skin.

He could feel her entire body tense underneath him. Michaela's fingers that had been playing with his hair stopped what they were doing. "No," she answered, glancing down at him. She pulled his hair so that she could meet his eyes. "You _cannot_ come to Vegas, Lee. Promise me you won't." At his reluctant glare, she tugged harder. "Promise," she insisted, her voice somewhat desperate.

The panic and fear in her eyes bothered him. What was she so afraid of? "Baby, what's been going on since I've been gone?"

"Nothing," she said letting his hair go and letting her fingers trip down the line of his jaw. "Just don't. Please Leon. If you want me to come back, you _have_ to stay here, okay?"

"If that's what you want," he muttered, lying his head back down onto her shoulder. They talked for awhile about random things before her eyes began to droop closed. He chuckled and nipped at her neck, laughing when a soft gasp left her lips. "Am I boring you, Shorty?"

She shook her head while she yawned. "No, baby, I'm just tired."

"You can go to sleep if you want," he murmured as he pushed himself off her. "I'm going to take a shower."

"Yeah, get off me! You smell!" she teased, plugging her nose and waving a hand in front of her face.

He stuck his tongue out at her before heading towards her bathroom. Michaela watched him go; enjoying the fine view of his butt she was getting from her spot on the bed. Stretching her arms over her head, she settled into a more comfortable position and quickly fell asleep.

Leon walked out of the bathroom minutes later and began fishing through her drawers for something of his to wear. He found his favorite pair of basketball shorts lying in the bottom drawer and rolled his eyes, he'd been wondering where those had gone. He turned back to the bed and found Michaela with her head buried in her pillow, fast asleep.

He flicked off the light before he lay down on the bed so his head rested on her chest, one of his arms slung over her waist. She loosely wrapped her arm around him, her eyes still closed in sleep. Turning his head, he placed a kiss on her collar bone and whispered, "G'night, _mi cielo_." (_My sky_.)

* * *

So I decided Leon speaks a little bit of Spanish because...why wouldn't he? ;)

And I'm sort of interested to know what you think Mickey's cell phone ringtone is?? I have a song in mind, but I thought it would be better to let you guys pick one out. hehe ;)

Thanks again for reading and _please_ review! _Pretty please?_

~Love Ink


	19. I Know

Thanks for the reviews! Keep them coming please, so I know I'm doing a good job!! :)

Sorry its been so long!!! :( I've been busy packing/moving and although this chapter has been written for a while, I was hesitant to post it for some reason...

Let me know what you think! ;)

New chapter will be up as soon as I finish it which should be sometime this week...maybe even today! :D

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Michaela

* * *

**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 19: I Know_

By: LoveInk

Michaela woke up to find Leon perched at the corner of her bed, his head in his hands, his shoulders tensed. It was obvious he was thinking hard about something and she could only guess what it was. Untangling herself from the covers, she crept to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her cheek against the smooth skin of his bare back. "Mornin'," she murmured against his skin.

"Hey," he replied, his voice gruff and tired.

"You're up early," she said sounding suspicious. "What's going on, babe?"

Leon let out a long sigh and shrugged. "Nothing."

He could feel her smirk against his back, she obviously didn't believe him. "You're a liar."

"I know," he admitted with a chuckle. He looked down at his hands, cracking his knuckles nervously. "When are you leaving?"

Moving her chin onto his shoulder, she sighed and he could feel her hot breath against his ear. "Tomorrow afternoon," she answered, feeling the muscles in his back tense as she said it.

Michaela could tell by his sharp intake of breath that he hadn't been expecting that answer. "So soon?" She was glad she couldn't see his face because by the choked sound of his voice, she was sure it had the possibility to make her burst into tears.

"You know Rick, I'm lucky he didn't send me back today," she whispered, letting her fingers trail over his abdomen aimlessly.

He swallowed thickly; it was hard for him to think with her touching him like that. "What about your brother and the rest of the team?" Her fingers stopped moving, freezing where they were on his abs. "You didn't think about them, did you?"

"No," she groaned, letting go of him and falling back onto her bed. "I guess I'll tell them at breakfast and get it over with, though I can't ensure that I'll survive after it."

"Mmm breakfast," Leon moaned, turning and climbing over her, one hand on either side of her head as he held himself above her. "I'm hungry," he growled, his eyes hinting that there might be another meaning to his words.

"I tell you that I might not survive breakfast and you're moaning about the food!" she teased, her fingers raking across his toned stomach. "You are such a fatty!"

He lowered himself onto her, burying his face in her neck. "I am not fat," he mumbled into the soft skin there. "And no one is going to kill you," he stated as he pressed a soft kiss at the crook of her neck. "I won't let them."

Smiling, she wrapped one arm around him while the other tangled into his hair. "How are you going to do that? My brother's a pretty big guy and Dom's a beefcake."

Leon chuckled as he propped himself up on his elbows, one on either side of her torso. "I can't promise I'll win, but I'll sure as hell try."

"Good luck with that." Michaela giggled, touched that he would take a beating from her brothers for her. She really did love this man. Everything about him made her feel safe. She bit her lip to keep those three little words from slipping out and scaring him out of her life.

"What?" he asked, his eyebrows darting up towards his hairline.

She took a deep breath, ready to take the plunge. "I love you," she said, her voice just barely audible.

In true Star Wars geek fashion, he nodded and said, "I know."

Michaela groaned, rolling her eyes and slapping her hand to her forehead. "I don't know whether you're being a huge Han Solo style jerk or Jedi geek!"

He chuckled, shaking his head as he pushed himself off of her and out of bed. "Neither. I know you love me. Who doesn't?"

She knew he was trying to be funny, but she couldn't bring herself to laugh. She watched his back as he pulled his jersey back on while wondering if her fears were being realized. Was he leaving her? Were the past few days his way of seeking revenge? Of trying to hurt her as much as she'd hurt him? "Right," she said, her heart dropping to the bottom of her chest. "You don't love me…that makes sense…I get it."

Leon whipped around, his eyebrows raised in disbelief. "I don't?" His voice sounded surprised. "That's news to me."

Michaela grinned as she got out of bed and walked over to him. She stood in front of him so she blocked his view of the mirror. "So you do love me?"

Leon's hands gently cupped her cheeks as he leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "What do you think?" he asked, his hands falling to his sides.

Relief washed over Michaela as she met his glance. All that she needed to know was written in those emerald eyes of his. They told her just how he felt and made her wonder why she had been so scared to tell him in the first place. A knowing smile spread across her face as she reached down and laced her fingers through his. "I think it's time for breakfast," she said cheerily giving his hand a squeeze before pulling him towards the hall.

* * *

If you didn't get the Star Wars reference, I'm sorry!! Its an amazing moment in Return of the Jedi which I just watched again...hehe ;) You can find it on youtube if you type in "han solo, I know" (It's the first one that pops up)

Let me know if you like it please!!! :D

Thanks again for reading and putting up with my terrible procrastination in updating chapters! :D

~Love Ink


	20. Distracted

Thanks for the reviews!!

I know its short! :( The next one is looking pretty long though! :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Michaela

* * *

**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 20: Distracted_

By: LoveInk

Vince was at the door just as the couple made their way down the stairs. "Breakfast?" he grunted toward them.

"Breakfast," Michaela confirmed with a nod.

"You do realize you're wearing underwear," he said his blue eyes glaring daggers at Leon.

Leon shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, but Michaela seemed unfazed by it. She looked down at her skimpy tank and boy shorts underwear and grinned. "You're right, I am," she said as though she hadn't noticed before. "I'm going to go change."

As Michaela headed back to her room, Leon turned to follow her before a loud whistle stopped him in his tracks. Vince stood at the very button of the stairs, his arms crossed over his chest, an eyebroa raised. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"Nowhere," Leon answered simply as he walked down a few stairs.

He nodded slowly, a smirk on his face. "That what I thought." When Leon finally stepped off the last step, Vince cleared his throat, "What happened last night? You two disappeared."

"That's something you need to talk to Mickey about," Leon answered smoothly.

Vince looked Leon over skeptically. "If she's pregnant..."

"She's not!" Leon cut him off with a scowl and a shake of his head.

Vince was visibly relieved by his answer. He looked up just as his sister was walking down the stairs and a small smile crossed his face. "Now there's my pretty girl," he announced. "What happened last night?"

Michaela looked at her hands nervously before glancing at Leon. "You can go ahead, Lee. I need to talk to my brother." Leon looked reluctant to leave as though he was worried Vince was going to hurt her or something. She gave him a reassuring smile and pushed him toward the door. "Its fine, he won't hurt me."

Vince clenched his jaw to prevent an angry jumble of words from escaping his mouth. He had never and would never lay a hand on his sister --no matter what she did-- and he didn't like that Leon would assume he would. He stared Leon down as he walked by, his blue eyes fierce and menacing. Once he was gone, he turned back to his sister. "What's the deal, Mickey?"

"I'm leaving," she said slowly, testing to see just how mad her big brother would get. At the moment, he still looked irked about the Leon thing, his head turned to the door as though he was contemplating rushing through it and attacking her boyfriend. "Tomorrow," she finished.

His eyes snapped back to her face, furious. "_Che_?" he growled. "_Spiegare_." (What? Explain.)

She winced; she knew he was pissed when he spoke in Italian. "Our set got finished early and I need to get back there and start to learn the new routines before I fall behind and get fired," she explained all in one breath.

"_Mi stai prendendo in giro, vero?" _he asked, running a hand through his already mussed hair. (You're kidding, right?)

Michaela shook her head sadly. "_No, sul serio_." (No, I'm serious.)

Vince shrugged a shoulder, letting out a long breath. "_Vabbé. Fai quello che devi fare," _he said sounding defeated. (Whatever. Do what you have to do.)

"I'm sorry, V," she said honestly. She could see how hurt he was, how he was trying not to care.

"Its _fine_, Michaela," he said through clenched teeth. His tone told her it was not _fine_, but he knew he couldn't do anything about it. "You're coming back, right?"

She nodded slowly. "Yeah, definitely. Gigi offered me a job at the dance studio."

"That's great, Mickey," Vince said sounding surprised and proud. A genuine smile spread across his face as he pulled his little sister into his arms. "When do you get back?"

Michaela let out a long sigh. "Three months."

Vince whistled, the corners of his mouth turning down in a frown. "Want to go for a drive? I haven't gotten to talk to you at all since you got here."

"I'd love that," she answered with a small smile. "I'm sorry I've been a little…distracted."

He chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "I never thought I'd have to compete with _Leon_ over a girl's attention, let alone my own sister's! I mean, most girls just pick me. After all, I'm the one with the rugged good looks."

Michaela laughed, rolling her eyes at his sarcastic tone. "Uh-huh, and I'm sure those racer chasers _love_ your modesty, as well."

Vince wrapped an arm around her shoulder and led her out to his car. "Naturally."

* * *

If you liked it, let me know!! :)

Thanks for reading!

~Love Ink


	21. A Little Ridiculous

Thanks so much for the reviews!! I really appreciate them all! 3

This chapter was seven pages long on Word but I couldn't find a spot to cut it off and then I realized…the longer the better, right? :D

So enjoy and please review!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Michaela plus a newbies... ;)

* * *

**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 21: A Little Ridiculous_

By: LoveInk

Leon wondered what was taking Michaela and Vince so long when his phone rang. He felt relief wash over him at the sight of Michaela's name on the caller i.d.. He'd been worried Vince might have gotten a little too angry and done something rash since he wasn't the best at controlling his anger. "Hey Princess. What's up?" he answered, rolling his eyes as Mia let out an "aww" at the nickname.

"V and I are going for a drive," she said with a laugh. "We'll be home before dinner, I promise!"

There went his plans of a romantic last day, Leon thought with a frown. "All right. Should I say something to the team?"

"Ummm," Michaela drew out the word as she thought. "Well, they'll understand the drive thing and you can tell them I'm leaving if it comes up."

Leon sighed loudly, of course it would come up and, as had happened in the past, he was stuck doing her dirty work. "All right, Princess. I'll see you later then."

"Later!" her voice chimed before the line went dead.

He sighed again as he set the phone down on the table. Mia was busy in the kitchen getting breakfast while the rest of the team was still asleep. "Where are Mickey and Vince?" she asked curiously.

"They went for a drive," he explained with a shrug. He got to get a glass of orange juice and leant against the counter, watching Mia work.

"Oh," Mia dragged the sound out in understanding. "They used to do that a lot when she lived here. It's very mysterious."

Leon smirked. "They won't tell you where they go, will they?"

"No!" she exclaimed, exasperated. "I mean, when she was fifteen, I figured he was just teaching her to drive and then, they kept it up. After that, I thought he was teaching her to race, but she refuses to be taught any more. And now…now I don't know!"

He let out a husky laugh, shaking his head at Mia's ways. "You're a little ridiculous, you know that? You can't know everything all the time."

"I can sure as hell try," she mumbled underneath her breath. "Speaking of knowing everything, what happened with Mickey last night? You guys never came back. Who was on the phone?"

"Her boss," he said quietly as he sat down at the breakfast table. "She's leaving tomorrow."

Mia dropped the spoon she was holding and it fell to the floor with a loud _clang_. "She's _what_?" Letty's voice came from the bottom of the stairs.

Leon sighed, running his hands through his hair nervously. "She has to leave tomorrow."

"Aw man, _tomorrow_?" Jesse's sleepy voice questioned as he walked into the kitchen. "_Lame_."

"What's going on tomorrow?" Dom asked coming into the house from the back shed where he'd been tinkering with the Charger.

"Apparently, Mickey has to leave tomorrow," Mia explained, setting plates full of food down at the table. "She and Vince went for a drive."

Dom chuckled, the corners of his lips turning up in an amused smile. "So you got stuck telling us," he said giving Leon a sympathetic look. Leon nodded miserably which only made Dom's smile widen. "Sounds about right. Mickey and Vince both suck at breaking news to people. You should've seen the hoops she went through to tell us she was moving to Vegas."

"Poor Santi. I bet he's _still_ deaf from Mia's shriek of surprise," Letty said snorting as she shook her head. "But that sucks. How long is she gone for?"

"Three months," Leon muttered dejectedly.

Jesse whistled. "Tough break."

He nodded in agreement. "She's coming back, though."

"What?" Mia shrieked excitedly.

"And now I'm deaf." Letty rubbed at her earlobe with a grimace.

Leon chuckled, a small smile forming on his face. "Yeah, she got a job at some dance studio she used to go to when ya'll were little."

"Gigi gave her a job! Oh my gosh! How come no one tells me these things?" Mia shouted, whipping out her cell phone and dialing Michaela's number. After a few seconds, her bottom lip stuck out in a pout. "She didn't answer."

"You know they don't answer their phones on their drives," Dom scoffed, rolling his eyes.

Michaela looked down at her phone and groaned when she saw Mia's name on the caller i.d.. "It's Mia," she told Vince who was sitting across from her, ice cream cone in his hand.

"I was wondering how long it'd take her to call," Vince mused, a smirk on his face. "I don't get why you made Leon tell them."

"I'm bad with confrontation, you know that. I can take it when it's you, but four against one?" She wrinkled her nose. "No thanks! They won't kill Leon. He's safe."

Vince rolled his eyes. "You're a shitty girlfriend."

"At least I have someone instead of risking getting an STD by sleeping with whoever shows the most interest," she shot back. He opened his mouth to say something back but snapped it shut when he realized she was right. Michaela smiled in triumph just as her phone rang. "Hello?" she answered

"Michaela, _mon petit diable_! I have a few business questions to ask you! Can you come down to the studio?" Gigi's voice blared over the phone.

She bit her lip and asked Vince if he wouldn't mind. He rolled his eyes and nodded. "Yeah, sure. Can I bring my brother?" Michaela asked giving him a smile.

"But of course! I would love to see dear Vincent!"

"All right, see you soon!" She hung up the phone and gave Vince a smile. "I'm sorry, V, but if I want to come back here…"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Let's go," he muttered, taking the last bite of his ice cream cone and getting off the picnic table and heading toward his Maxima. Michaela skipped up next to him, looping her arm through his as they walked.

With Vince in the driver seat, it didn't take them long to get to the dance studio. "Looks like Gigi got a new ride," he stated nodding at the pretty blue Jeep Wrangler parked outside with surfboards attached to the top. "Didn't know she surfed. Or could that one be hers?" he questioned, eyeing the brand new dark silver Escalade truck with ostentatious rims. "Gangsta Gigi."

Michaela giggled and pointed out the Mercury Sable. "_That's _Gigi's remember? You and Dom fixed the engine for free. It was your first job!"

Vince chuckled at the memory as he followed her into the dance studio smiling at the familiar surroundings. He remembered watching Michaela dance through the mirrored window. Michaela gasped as she looked through it now. "Holy crap! That's Fisher James!" she exclaimed pointing at the pointy haired man dancing with a girl.

Vince let his eyes rake over the petite brunette. She was busy doing dance moves he'd seen the cheesy boy bands Mia watched do in their music videos. He watched as her hands dragged over her body and up into her hair. Fisher mimicked what she was doing as though he was learning it himself. She nodded before doing a back tuck and landing perfectly on her feet. "Who's that girl?"

"That is my niece, Alexandra," Gigi said proudly before pulling Vince into a hug. "It's good to see you, my dear boy. You've grown to be quite a man!"

Michaela giggled as she saw her brother's cheeks darken in a blush. "He looks like a giant ogre, doesn't he?" she asked, laughing at Gigi's shocked face. Vince discreetly flipped her off when Gigi's back was turned.

"They're good, no?" the older lady asked. "It's a pity Alexandra never liked ballet. She would've been excellent at it. She didn't have your patience or your dedication to learn pointe. The girl had more fun breaking in her shoes than actually using them."

Vince hid a chuckle; he remembered helping Michaela break in her shoes by slamming them in her bedroom door and bending them in half. He could see where it would be fun.

A proud smile spread over Michaela's face at her instructor's compliment. She knew she was good at ballet, but she liked to hear it sometimes. "So Fisher James, huh?"

"_Oui_. Fisher is a close friend of my nieces. They've been working on that dance and that flip for hours now. They're currently choreographing a routine for this band Alex used to back up dance for. The Crowd…something like that."

"The Entourage," Michaela corrected with a smile. "I've seen them a few times in concert. They have amazing dance routines. Fisher James is like a choreographing god! He's choreographed the best!"

Gigi rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, well, Fisher wanted to put his name to a dance studio and Alexandra has decided to stop touring so they wanted a part of this dance studio. I told them I already had a deal with you, so I thought we might be able to make an agreement between the three of us."

"Absolutely! I'd love that!" Michaela exclaimed excitedly.

"Let me go get them then," Gigi said heading over to the door just as both Fisher and Alex did two back tucks in perfect sync with each other. The old lady applauded them before pointing to the window, Alex's face turned red as she glanced toward the mirrors while Fisher's smile just got wider. They followed Gigi out of the room and headed toward the siblings.

Michaela noticed her brother straighten up out of the corner of her eye as Alex approached. The first thing she noticed about the girl was that she was incredibly short; her head barely cleared Vince's chest. "Hi," Alex said her voice light and cheery. "I'm Alex and this is my friend Fisher…"

"James," Michaela finished, completely starstruck, "You are an _amazing_ choreographer."

Fisher didn't seem at all surprised that she recognized him. "Thank you, Michaela. Gigi here has told us all about you," he said, a British accent coloring his words. "I've actually seen _your_ show quite a few times."

Michaela sent a nervous glance at Vince, but he didn't seem to notice. He was too busy ogling Alex who was staring back at the dance studio looking as though a million dance moves were racing through her head. "This is Vince, by the way," she blurted out to stop Fisher from talking about her show. "He's my big brother."

"Are you a dancer too, Vince?" Fisher questioned, eyeing him up and down.

"Oh yeah, ballet's my favorite," Vince answered back sarcastically.

Alex giggled, her dark green eyes falling on Vince and lighting up with mirth. "You'd look precious in a tutu," she quipped giving him a wink.

Fisher rolled his eyes exaggeratedly before extending an arm to Michaela. "Shall we talk business, Michaela?"

"We shall, Fisher James," Michaela answered taking his arm and heading back into the office with him and Gigi. Alex watched them go and when they were out of sight, she sat down on the bench outside the studio with a sigh.

Vince raised his eyebrows. He thought this was a business move for both Fisher and Alex, why would she wait outside? "You're not going in?"

She shook her head. "Nah. Fish has got a better head for all that business stuff," Alex said honestly. "Plus, I didn't want to leave in case you decided to bust out that old tutu of yours and do some dancing. I wouldn't want to miss that."

He laughed and sat down next to her. "I retired my tutu long ago."

Alex grabbed her bottle of water, smiling as she took a sip. "I'm sad to hear that. I would've loved to see a giant like you in a bright pink tutu."

"Not as much as I loved watching you do that back flip," he said with a smirk. "Now I know the reason why people pay so much to see that whiny band; flipping munchkins!"

He was afraid she'd be offended by the comment, but she hit his arm and laughed as though they'd been friends for years. "You're hilarious," she stated sarcastically. "Screw dancing, you should be a comedian."

"I knew I was in the wrong profession!"

"What _is_ your profession, by the way?" Alex questioned, realizing she didn't know anything about the scruffy man at her side.

Vince shrugged a shoulder. "I'm a mechanic."

"Are you a good one?"

"I guess," he said with another shrug. It was a question he'd never been asked. Most people who brought their car to Toretto's assumed everyone working there was good because Dom only took the best. "Why? You want me to look at your car?"

She shook her head. "My Jeep is fine, thank you. I was just curious."

"So that's _your_ Jeep out there? I had you pegged for the Escalade," he teased. She gave him a half-hearted glare and he chuckled. "You surf, then?"

"Nope," she said, dead serious. "Those are just for decoration and to pick up dudes." For a brief second, he thought she was serious and then her smile gave her away. "Yes, I surf. Fish and I learned how to when we were on tour in Hawaii."

"Is Fisher your boyfriend?" Vince asked, hoping for a negative answer.

Alex laughed at the mere suggestion, shaking her head vigorously from side to side. "I don't know if you noticed, but Fisher was checking _you_ out not your sister." Vince scratched at the back of his neck, at a loss for words. "First time being checked out by a dude, huh?"

"Yeah," he answered curtly. "We don't get too many of those around the racing scene."

"Racing as in NASCAR?" she questioned, her nose crinkling in confusion.

Vince snorted and shook his head. "No. Street racing."

"Oh, I knew that," she said, a small blush flooding into her sun-kissed cheeks. "Fisher has been dying to go to those for some reason. I told him he can't go in that Escalade. He'd be laughed right out of there."

"Out of where exactly?" Fisher asked, one perfectly manicured eyebrow arched above his dark blue eyes.

"The races," Alex answered with a shrug.

"Oh, like you could fit in!" he shot back at her with a roll of her eyes.

She shrugged a shoulder. She didn't seem to care whether she would fit in or not. In fact, she barely seemed interested in going. "Who knows?"

"You know, you could test it out," Michaela piped in, a huge smile on her face. "We're going tonight, if you want to come." Vince was surprised by her offer. Race nights were reserved specifically for the team. It was rare that any of them brought strangers along, rarer still that those strangers didn't own vehicles they could drive there themselves.

Fisher looked intrigued. He shared a look with Alex as though he was seeing if she was okay with it. It was almost as if they could read each other's minds, Michaela thought. "We'll go. But _you_ need a new outfit," he said finally, his finger in Alex's face.

She scowled and swatted his hand out of the way. "I do not. My clothes are perfectly fine, thank you."

"Oh please, Lexi! You have this amazing rack and you always keep it covered! It's time to let the twins get some air!"

"Fisher!" Alex exclaimed, her cheeks red with embarrassment as she crossed her arms over her chest as though she was trying to hide it from the people around her.

Fisher's grin widened as though he was truly enjoying torturing her. "What? Am I right? I mean…"

She jumped out of her seat and covered her best friend's mouth. "Fisher. Shut. Up. Now."

Michaela giggled. "I have tons of clothes at my house. You two should totally come over for our barbeque and then we can all get dressed together. My friend Mia loves makeovers."

Alex looked a little uncomfortable at the idea of a makeover while Fisher looked so excited, he was practically jumping up and down. "Oh come _on_, Lexi! _Please_!" he exclaimed, pressing his hand together as though he was praying. "It'll be fun!"

"If you call torture fun," Vince muttered under his breath. Alex shot him a look that clearly showed her agreement with his statement, though she was too polite to say it aloud.

Michaela scowled and smacked his arm. "He doesn't know what he's talking about. C'mon, it'll be fun! We'll bond!" she coaxed with an encouraging smile.

Alex glanced reluctantly at Fisher who winked at her. "Sure," she breathed. "Why not?" Fisher and Michaela exchanged high fives and started to gush about the outfits they could put Alex in as they headed out the door.

"You coming?" Vince asked nodding his head at Fisher and Michaela who had already gone out the front door.

She shook her head and let out a nervous breath. "Nope. Back to the dance floor for me."

"You're stressed about tonight." It wasn't a question but an observation. He knew when he was feeling stressed, he turned to his guitar for relief. It looked like Alex turned to her dancing to relieve stress. Michaela was the same way.

A bashful smile spread across her face. "Am I that obvious?"

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, a move that was surprisingly normal and comfortable for both of them despite having just met. "Don't worry. I'll save you."

She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "You have something up your sleeve, don't you?"

He squeezed her shoulder gently before dropping his arm and heading towards the door. "Maybe," he tossed over his shoulder before giving her a sexy wink that made another blush rise to her cheeks.

* * *

You like? Let me know, please!!! Good, bad, mediocre, whatever...I want to know! :D

Do you like Fisher? Alex? Gigi? (well...Gigi doesn't really matter...but still...)

~Love Ink


	22. Out of Here

Another long chapter! YAY! :)

Thanks so much for all your reviews!! I really love hearing from you guys! It makes me right faster!! ;)

Enjoy and please review!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Michaela, Alex, and Fisher…

* * *

**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 22: Out of Here_

By: LoveInk

Vince walked into the fort to find Leon and Jesse racing at some Playstation game. Leon paused the game at once, his head turning to glance at Vince, green eyes searching for Michaela. Vince rolled his eyes and sighed. "She's at home taking a shower."

"Where'd you guys go?" Jesse asked curiously. He had unpaused the game and didn't bother to look up from his game when asking the question.

"Out," Vince answered curtly, aware of Mia cooking in the kitchen. He knew the girl would give anything to find out where they went on their sibling outings and was probably eavesdropping for any clue he might give. Smirking, he wandered into the kitchen to find Mia putting garlic bread into the oven. Sticking his head in the fridge, he said, "Two of Mickey's friends are coming over. That cool with you?" He pulled out a Corona and grabbed a bottle opener.

Mia shrugged a shoulder. "Mickey is leaving tomorrow. That cool with you?" she mocked in a deep voice. Her dark eyes were waiting for his temper to flare, for him to get mad about Michaela's departure.

Vince popped the top off the bottle while shrugging. He wasn't angry, in fact, he was quite content. Michaela was coming back eventually, and that was really all he cared about. He'd already spent the past years without her there; he didn't see how waiting a few months could be that much harder. "She's coming back, Mia. Don't be dramatic," he said with a scoff. She glared at him while he took a drink out of his Corona. "She's running Gigi's old studio with some famous choreographer guy and this chick," he explained.

"I'll have you know, I am _not_ dramatic," Mia defended which got a laugh from Vince. "So who are these people? Are they cool? Is the chick more like Letty or me? Will she let us dress her up?"

He shrugged again. "Shit, Mi. I don't know. Ask Mickey about that."

"I'm here!" Michaela's voice sang through the house. She breezed in, tossing her keys on the table while kicking off her shoes. Leon laid his head back on the couch arm so it was hanging off upside down to get a look at her. She leaned over the arm of the couch and placed a soft kiss on his lips, her dark, wet hair hanging like a curtain around him. "Mmm, you smell good, baby," he stated lifting his head up to catch her lips in another kiss.

"Thank you," she said with a smile as she skipped off into the kitchen. Mia's cold glare stopped her in her tracks. She grimaced; this was not going to be pretty.

"I'm out," Vince muttered, sensing one of Mia's lectures coming in the near future. He patted Michaela's shoulder sympathetically as he walked past. "_Buona fortuna_. _Lei e matta_." (Good luck. She's crazy.)

"You know I can understand you, right?" Mia said slowly, her eyes blazing angrily. "I took Italian in high school, remember?"

Michaela giggled. "_Non fa niente_. _Ho capito_." (Don't worry about it. I got this.)

Vince quickly kissed her temple before heading back to the living room. Mia watched his back with an evil glare before turning back to Michaela. "You're unbelievable, you know that?" Mia exclaimed, shaking her head at her friend. "You're _lea_ving and you weren't going to _tell_ us?"

Michaela bit her lip nervously. "I kinda _did_ tell you…indirectly, but still."

"No, no, no. _Leon_ told us. _You_ went off on one of your _stupid_ drives and left Leon to tell us just like you did with freakin' Santiago the first time you went to Vegas! What is _with_ you and confrontation?" Mia exclaimed, throwing her arms up in frustration.

"I told Vince," she defended quietly, her eyes on her feet.

Mia's eyes widened. Her first thought was that she told him about her job, but Michaela's face told her it wasn't. It was one thing for Michaela to "confront" Vince and tell him she was leaving; it was quite another to tell him she was leaving to go be an exotic dancer in Las Vegas. "Wow. Was that hard?" she asked sarcastically.

"Don't be a bitch, Mia," Michaela sighed, running her fingers through her hair. She could see that Mia wasn't really angry any more, just frustrated. "Did he also tell you I was coming back?" she questioned, hoping it would sway Mia to a happier state.

The name calling didn't bother Mia. It was a term Michaela tossed around constantly with Letty and it never held any real sentiment. Mia shrugged as though she couldn't care less. "He may have."

Michaela knew she had Mia's attention then. "Well, I am and you'll never guess who I'm going to be working with?"

"From what Vince said, you are working with "some chick and a famous choreographer." He is _so_ articulate," she answered with a smirk.

Michaela laughed, happy that her brother hadn't filled Mia in on names. Fisher was definitely one Mia would recognize. When they were in high school, she'd been obsessed with the up and coming boy band, The Entourage, and had known every little detail about them. Now that they were a huge phenomenon, Mia's obsession had died down but the knowledge was still there. "Fisher James and Alexandra Salvatore."

"_The_ Fisher James as in the choreographer of The Entourage?" Mia shrieked, her eyes widening in surprise as Michaela nodded her head. "And Lex Salvatore? _The_ girl that Eddie Romero has been dating for, like, ever? You're joking!"

"No joke," Michaela said with a wide smile. She was happy that at least _someone_ knew and appreciated who these two dancers were. "They're really cool, Mi. You'll love Fisher, he's great, and Alex is kind of quiet, but she warmed up to Vince really quickly. They were flirting, it was kinda cute, actually."

"_Vince_! Why on _earth_ would she flirt with Vince when she has Eddie Romero? He's _gorgeous_!"

Mickey shrugged. "I don't know. I just got the vibe that they were into each other. Maybe there's trouble in paradise."

Mia scoffed. "No. They've been together since they were sixteen. What trouble could they have?"

"Mia…" Michaela drew out. Her friend was acting like she already knew Alex when she most certainly did not. "Just don't bring it up, okay?"

She let out a long sigh. "Fine. I won't. But Vince better step off, she _has_ a boyfriend."

Vince, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation, frowned. He hadn't known about Alex's boyfriend and had been playing with the idea of how to best get her alone since they'd left the dance studio. It would be a hell of a lot more difficult to hook up with her now that he knew about her boyfriend, but it wouldn't be impossible. Not if he wanted it badly enough. It wasn't like he'd ever let a girl's boyfriend stop him before.

Fisher sighed when he saw Alex walk out of her room. He was sitting in their living room watching when she strode in wearing a pair of loose jeans, a black Rolling Stones tank, and black and red checkered Converse slip-ons. "Bloody hell, Lex! What are you wearing? Is that you're bikini strap showing?"

Alex looked down at her outfit and then back at him. The white straps of her haltered bikini showed from underneath the form fitting tank. "Yes, and I'm wearing clothes. What's wrong with this?"

He got up and pushed her back into the room. "Honestly, Salvy, I don't know how your sisters ever let you get away with dressing like a boy." He rummaged through her drawers, tossing things at her as he went.

After a few arguments over wardrobe, she ended up wearing a low cut black tank with a pair of tight jeans, and flip flops. "Better?" she asked.

Fisher picked up a silver necklace with turquoise stones and slipped it over her head. "Much. Thank you."

"Can we go now? We're late," Alex said, grabbing her keys off the table and heading to the Jeep.

He jogged after her before jumping into the passenger's seat. He watched his friend closely as she drove, taking note of the way her leg was bouncing up and down. She was chewing on her thumbnail, yet another nervous trait she'd picked up through the years. Slapping her finger out of her mouth, he asked, "Why are you so nervous, love? It's only a barbeque."

"I'm not nervous," she lied, glaring at him.

Fisher snorted in response, shaking his head at her. He knew she was nervous because she always was around new people. Besides him, she didn't have many close friends and no close girl friends. She'd been stabbed in the back so many times by fake friends who were trying to get in with the band, that she'd given up trying to find a female friend, though, in his opinion, she needed one badly. "Don't worry about it, Little A. You'll be fine. I doubt these people even _like _the band. Much less know anything about them. And if not, you always have Vince. He _liked_ you."

And she had liked him. Too much, she thought with a frown. He was sexy in that dirty, rugged way, and the wink he'd given her had sent a stampede of butterflies through her stomach. She hadn't felt butterflies in years. "I _have_ a boyfriend," she reminded both Fisher and herself as she parked in front of the house.

It was Vince who spotted them first. A smile spread across his face, lighting up his eyes in a way that made Alex's heart race. She swallowed hard, trying to fight off the blush she felt rising into her cheeks. "Well, look who it is," he drawled as he walked around the nose of the Jeep to the driver's side.

He offered her a hand to help her down. She took it, a blush inevitably rising to her cheeks. "Thanks. Sorry we're late. Fish made me change," she explained softly.

"You look good," he said, nodding appreciatively.

"_See_," Fisher put in with a cocky grin. "I _told _you so."

Alex sent him a quick glare as Vince draped a casual arm around her shoulders. "C'mon, I'll introduce you to the guys."

Fisher strolled behind them, watching with a satisfied grin. He wasn't a big fan of Alex's current boyfriend. Though the three of them had known each other since they were kids, Eddie's fame had gone straight to his head, and his treatment of Alex had taken a turn for the worse. She went from being his leading lady to being that girl that he can use sometimes to get his face in the tabloids since, as he said, "everyone loves the classic high school couple." Alex deserved better than that, and although he wasn't sure if Vince was worthy, he thought the scruffy man could be the one whom she'd leave Eddie for.

Vince led Alex to where there was a jersey clad man playing basketball with a skinny blonde kid in a beanie. He whistled and the two stopped playing, the jersey man carrying the ball against his hip. "Who's this?" he asked, his voice just a bit rougher than Vince's.

"This is Alex," Vince answered before gesturing to Leon, "and this is my sister's…her…" It was still hard for him to wrap his head around the fact that Leon and Michaela were _dating_.

"Boyfriend," Leon finished easily. "Leon."

Alex smiled politely. "Nice to meet you. This is my best friend, Fisher."

Fisher nodded, his eyes looking over Leon first and then the blonde beside him. "A pleasure," he said shaking his hand.

"I'm Jesse," Jesse piped up, beaming at Alex. "You're Jeep's pretty badass. Does it have four wheel drive?"

"Yeah, it does actually," she said with a grin. "It's a beast when we go off-roading."

"No shit," he said on a laugh. "You know, I've always wanted to go off-roading."

"Maybe I'll take you some time," she offered. She liked Jesse; he seemed like an incredibly genuine person, someone she could easily be friends with.

Jesse's blue eyes lit up. "Really? That'd be sick! Could I drive? I'm a good driver!"

"All right, easy Jess. Don't scare her off," Leon said, clapping Jesse on the back before shoving the basketball into his stomach playfully.

The duo went back to playing their game as Vince, Fisher, and Alex moved closer to the backyard where a bald man was manning the grill, a petite tan girl at his side. The girl strode over confidently and grinned. "You must be Mia's next project," she stated with a chuckle.

"So I hear," Alex said with a nervous smile. "I'm Alex."

"Letty," Letty answered, grabbing Alex's extended hand and shaking it. "I was her first project. Don't worry about it; she'll go easy on you."

Dom chuckled from his spot. "I don't know why you need a makeover," he said, flipping over a burger. "You look fine to me."

Vince scowled at him in sync with Letty. "This is Dom, _my_ boyfriend," Letty introduced, emphasizing the 'my.' "Dom, this is Alex and Fisher, They're gonna work with Michaela."

"Welcome," he said with a nod. "My sister's been waiting a long time for you to get here. She's upstairs in the kitchen with Mickey."

Letty kept her eyes on Vince as Alex and Fisher headed up the stairs. His eyes followed Alex's every movement in a way that made Letty smile. Once they were out of sight, she hit Vince's arm. "She's hot, V," she stated with a wide smile.

"She's got a boyfriend," he said in response, tiptoeing around the statement.

Dom chuckled and shook his head. "When has that ever stopped you?"

A wolfish smile spread across Vince's face. "Never."

"I feel bad for her boyfriend already," Letty said on a sigh as she shook her head. "Please tell me you're going to get her out of here before Mia sinks her claws into her."

"I'm sure as hell gonna try," Vince answered, going to the cooler and grabbing a Corona.

Alex and Mia instantly clashed. It wasn't that they didn't like each other, it was more that they were polar opposites in every way. To Mia, there was no such thing as secrets or privacy. She had to be in everyone's business, all the time so when she asked Alex about Eddie, she was shocked at Alex's quiet response. "I'd rather not talk about him, thanks," she'd replied softly, her green eyes focused on her feet.

Mia frowned. What good was it to have someone who knew a famous person if they weren't going to dish about them? "Are you guys even still together?"

"Yeah," Alex answered simply.

An awkward silence filled the small kitchen causing Michaela to laugh nervously. "Right. So Alex, let's go see what my brother is up to, yeah?"

"Sure," Alex said giving Michaela a grateful smile.

Mia watched them go before turning to Fisher. "What was that about? Did I say something wrong?"

"No, you were fine. Lex likes to keep her private life private," he explained with a shrug. "She's been burned badly by girls gossiping about her personal life. Its nothing personal; she just doesn't trust people easily. Just give it time, Mia."

"Fine," she muttered, disappointed. "They're still together, though, right?"

Fisher laughed at her gall. "You're something else, Mia Toretto. Let's go bring the food down before those boys go crazy."

They all sat at the table, waiting. Fisher, who had been informed of the prayer rule, was holding Alex's wrist under the table to keep her from grabbing the chicken first. Jesse let out a tired sigh and grabbed the first piece of chicken. With another sigh, he began to say Grace, "Dear God, thank you for…"

Alex caught Vince's glance, her chin leaning on her folded hands, a small smile playing at the corner of her lips. A sexy smirk turned up the corner of his mouth that made her heart skip a beat. Once Jesse had finished his prayer, he gave her a quick wink before grapping a piece of chicken. She almost died right there. He made her feel like she was a freshman in high school with a crush on the star quarterback who didn't even know she existed. But they weren't in high school, and he definitely knew she existed.

The dinner was filled with laughter and stories. Mia and Michaela stood to clear the table and Fisher and Alex stood with them to help. Letty shook her head and pointed at her chair. "Alex, sit. You're making me look bad," she joked with a smirk.

Alex and Fisher glanced at each other quickly and once again Michaela wondered if they could read each other's mind. "Okay," Alex said, sitting back down and watching as Fisher picked up her plate and followed the girls."

Once they were gone, Letty cleared her throat to catch Vince's attention. "If you want to save her, you should leave now," she stated, stretching her arms up over her head.

Vince nodded, throwing his napkin onto the table and getting up. "Let's go, little one," he said gesturing at Alex to stand.

"Little one?" Alex asked, her eyebrows shooting up to her hairline.

"Uh-huh," he said with a teasing grin.

She rolled her eyes but didn't comment on the nickname; she was used to being called short. "Where are we going?"

"Away from here. That is, Unless you _want_ the girls to torture you," he stated nonchalantly.

Alex was up and out of her seat in seconds. "Let's get out of here."

* * *

Did you like it? As always, your critiques are more than welcome! Let me know what you liked/didn't like and I'll try and make it better!

Thanks!!! :D

~LoveInk


	23. My Way

Here's another long chapter (6 pages! Woot!)!! Writing is such a good form of procrastination! ;) Thanks so much for all of your lovely reviews!! I look forward to reading them!! (Seriously though, after posting a chapter, I check my e-mail constantly to see if I have any reviews. I'm a nerd…hehe)

Enjoy and please review! (I'll be waiting. But not in a creepy way or anything…)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Michaela, Alex, and Fisher…

* * *

**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 23: My Way_

By: LoveInk

Alex couldn't help but stare at Vince as he drove. She had never seen anyone enjoy driving as much as Vince obviously did. It was no wonder he was a mechanic; he genuinely loved cars. His blue eyes stared at the road in front of him, one hand caressing the gear stick almost lovingly while the other was placed lightly on the wheel, his elbow sticking out the open window. With a small smile, she slipped out her camera and snapped a quick picture. "Hey!" he exclaimed with a scowl. "What was that for?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "Dunno. I thought it'd be a good picture. We'll see how it turns out."

He eyed the camera curiously. It was small and not the best make, yet the way she held so tenderly made it seem expensive. "You carry that thing around with you everywhere?"

"Pretty much," she answered gingerly putting her camera back into her drawstring bag. "My dad's a photographer, and when I was little, I wanted to _be_ him. So, naturally, I took up photography. It was what set me apart from my sisters."

_Sisters_, that was intriguing. "How many sisters do you have?"

"Three. Two are older and married and one younger. She's just turning twelve."

He whistled. "_Three _sisters? I can hardly handle one! How do _you_ do it?"

Alex giggled and shrugged. "I love it! There is _always_ something going on at our house. It's crazy and exciting!"

"Sounds a lot like our place," Vince thought out loud.

"Out of curiosity, just how much trouble are you going to be in when we get back? I know my sisters would throw fits if I bailed on them before a makeover."

Vince grimaced, running a hand over his already mussed hair. "More than is necessary. Mia is a drama queen. I can already see her stamping her foot and whining like she did when Mickey used to steal her Barbies." He pulled his face into a pout as though mimicking Mia's. "But it's not _fair _I wanted to play with it!" he exclaimed in a high voice; his best impression of Mia.

Alex's peals of laughter filled the car. It was so loud; he couldn't help but laugh along with her. She could not believe how close Vince's impression had sounded impeccably close to the real thing; he _must_ have had years of practice to accomplish such a similarity! "That was amazing!" she stated, swiping tears from her eyes. "Mia must get _pissed_ when you do that!"

He shrugged a shoulder. It was rare he impersonated Mia in front of anyone other than Mickey since it usually pissed Dom off and he didn't felt comfortable enough doing it in front of Leon and Jesse yet. "She hasn't heard it," he admitted with a smirk.

"You're worried she won't give you food, huh?" Alex said a knowing sparkle in her eyes.

Vince wondered how she had guessed. It wasn't like he'd ever talked about Mia's cooking or his affinity for food. "How'd you know?"

"With cornbread like that, I'd be worried too," she answered with a laugh.

Vince laughed as he pulled into the parking lot of the Santa Monica Pier. They spent the rest of the day there playing the carnival games and riding the rides. As the sun set, they sat on the beach and watched the last rays of the sun disappear below the horizon. "The colors are so…magical," Alex commented, taking out her camera once again and snapping a photo.

He snorted at her choice of word. "Magical?" he mocked, an eyebrow raised.

"Shut up," she said, bumping her arm against his. "I love the sunset."

"Does your boyfriend take you to see it often?" Vince questioned nonchalantly. "Mia seems to think he's awfully romantic."

Alex felt guilt wash over her. Truth be told, she'd forgotten all about her boyfriend. The only person that had been running through her mind all day had been Vince. She looked up at the sky and let out a long sigh. "Eddie was…is…he's not…he's not what his fans think he is. I mean, he used to be this romantic guy who would bring me flowers and write me songs and all that when we were in high school, but ever since his band blew up…it's been one big "Eddie show." I had to quit the tour because I was so sick of being treated like the so-called "love of his life" when cameras were around and then like dirt when they were gone."

"So why don't you break up with him?" Vince asked, an eyebrow raised. He was surprised that she realized she was being treated badly and still stayed with him.

"Because he's Eddie," she answered with a shrug. "Beneath all that hair gel and fame, he's still the guy I fell in love with in high school."

He shook his head as he scooped up a handful of sand and let it run through his fingers. "Sounds like a real asshole to me."

Alex nodded for lack of anything else to say. She really didn't want to talk about Eddie. She just wanted to enjoy the moment. It was quite romantic, actually. The sun had just set leaving the sky softly tinged with purple and orange. Latin music from a party nearby hung in the air around them. She was sitting close enough to Vince to feel the heat radiating off his arm. If she inclined her head just a little, it'd be resting against his shoulder. The thought of that simple movement sent another storm of butterflies through her stomach. What was wrong with her? She _loved _Eddie, didn't she?

She had to get away from Vince. Her mind was already toying with the idea of laying a soft kiss on his shoulder, right on the beautiful dragon he had tattooed there. She stood up instinctively and at Vince's curious glance, she decided to dance her way to the water in time with the music around them.

Vince watched her for a moment. She was ankle deep in the cold California surf, twirling around on one foot like an expert. He got up, shaking his head at her craziness; she was truly unlike any girl he'd ever met before. His cell phone rang just as he approached her. Letty's number showed on the i.d. and his eyes widened; he'd totally lost track of time! "Hey! Tiny dancer! We got to go now if you want to make back in time for the races," he shouted at her.

She stopped and looked at him, a soft smile on her face, her dark green eyes glittering in the moonlight. "I never figured you for an Elton John fan," she commented as she skipped back to him. They walked back to his car in complete silence. For a moment, she thought she'd offended him. "I'm sorry for saying you weren't an Elton John fan," she tried, her tone clearly showing her confusion. "I didn't think you'd be offended by it."

He smirked and shook his head as leant against the trunk of his car. ""Tiny Dancer" was my Mom's favorite song," he explained softly as he fiddled with his keys. He didn't look up at her when he spoke; his eyes were focused on the shiny keys in his hands. "I had forgotten all about it 'til you brought it up. I haven't heard that song in years."

Alex got the feeling didn't talk about his mom very often and was touched he's share something like that with her. She placed a hand on his to catch his attention. His eyes met hers, a look of sadness in the blue orbs. "It's a good one," she stated with a soft smile.

He nodded his agreement, memories of his mother filling his head. She leant against the bumper next to him, letting the silence take over for a brief moment before asking, "So am I _really _dressed okay for this?"

Vince let his eyes drag over her body slowly. Her jeans were certainly tight enough but the tank top wasn't nearly short enough. "You're wearing a swimsuit top underneath that right?" She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously but nodded just the same. With a smirk, he pulled his black mesh tank top over his head leaving behind a dark blue beater. "Take off your top and put this on over your swim suit."

She took the mesh tank from him and eyed it skeptically. "If this is a way to get me to take my top off…"

"I'm just trying to help you out," he said innocently, the wolfish grin on his face telling her otherwise.

With a roll of her eyes, she pulled her shirt over her head and quickly put the mesh shirt on over her swimsuit. The shirt was far too big for her and hung almost to her knees. "Well this looks attractive," she mumbled sarcastically.

Vince's hearty laugh filled the air. She looked so small in his huge shirt. "Maybe you should lose the pants too. Then you'd have a dress."

"Oh you'd like that, wouldn't you?" Alex drawled, more sarcasm laced her words. Rather than listen to Vince's awful suggestion, she pulled her hair tie out of her hair and tied the shirt back with it so it showed off a sliver of skin just above her pants. "Ta da," she exclaimed, doing a quick pirouette.

"I don't know, I still think it'd be a hot dress," he said with a shrug. She _did_ look hot in his clothes, though. Her smooth stomach was visible through the mesh of the tank and the bikini top showed just the right amount of cleavage to be sexy but not slutty.

She slapped his arm and scowled. "Maybe if I was wearing bathing suit _bottoms_, I'd agree with you."

"What _are_ you wearing underneath those pants then?"

"That's for me to know and you never to see," she quipped as she got into the car. "Are we going or what?"

Vince let out a frustrated groan as dozens of images of what she could be wearing flooded his mind. He got into the driver's seat and started the car with a flick of his wrist. "Tiny, if you didn't have a boyfriend…" he let the statement dangle in the air while he shook his head in quiet end to the sentence.

Alex tried to keep herself from blushing; she knew very well what he was implying. "Would you just drive? I'd like to get there in this lifetime."

For Leon and Michaela, the ride to the races was a quiet one. She gazed at him, completely enraptured by his keen focus on the street before him. It was rare she had a chance to stare at him without his being aware of it so she took the opportunity to memorize the sharp planes of his face, the slope of his neck, the taut muscles in his arms, and the curl of his fingers as he caressed the wheel. In a few hours when she left for Vegas, she'd have this image ingrained in her head and could go back to it when she missed him.

"You're creepin' me out, Princess," Leon drawled, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"I'm memorizing you," she admitted softly while rubbing the cloth of the jersey she was wearing between her thumb and pointer finger. "You're different than you were before."

He raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Good different or bad different?"

She smiled and shrugged a shoulder. "Good, better. I don't know. It's like you're being you."

"What are you talking about, Mickey? I've never been anyone else."

"I don't know," she repeated again, her voice sounding far away. "You're in your element here with the cars and the team. It's like…like you're truly happy. It's nice, I like it."

Leon gave her a weird look, curious as to where all these thoughts were coming from. He didn't tell her that moving to LA _had_ made his life better, but not happier…at least, not until she walked back into it. "It's only because you're here, you know that."

"I had a feeling," she said with a small grin.

He waited at the stop light, his turn signal on and ready to go to the races as soon as the light turned green. He watched the small green arrow blink on and off for a brief moment before Michaela snapped her fingers in front of his face. "You waiting for a particular shade of green, Lee?"

Leon accelerated with a jerk. He flew past the turn and continued straight. Michaela watched him, slack jawed. "Baby, you missed the turn!" she exclaimed in pure shock. She knew Leon knew the way better than anyone else and could not believe he'd missed the turn! It was so unlike him!

He chuckled, a smile lifting up the corners of his lips. "I know," he said with a happy nod. "I'd rather be with you tonight."

"What about the scanners?"

"Hector's team's got 'em. Edwin's too," he explained with another smile. "Dom's just paranoid so he has me run them all the time. We're good, Princess."

A happy grin spread across her face. She leant over the stick shift and kissed his cheek before sitting back down into her seat. "Where we going then?"

Leon shrugged a shoulder. Adrenaline raced through his veins at the thought of defying Dom. All he really wanted to do was drive. "We're just going to drive. See where we end up."

"Sounds perfect."

They ended up at a bowling alley open late for midnight bowling. Most of the teenagers had gone home leaving behind a few older couples and many empty lanes. Michaela and Leon rented shoes and grabbed the last lane at the far end. "You ready to lose?" Michaela challenged as she laced up her shoes.

He shrugged a shoulder. "Who said I was going to lose?"

Grabbing a neon pink ball, Michaela lined up her body with the pins in front of her before pulling her arm back and letting the ball loose. It sailed down the black light lit aisle and smashed into the neon orange pins knocking them all over. She gave him a triumphant, cocky smile. "I did."

Leon rolled his eyes exaggeratedly before picking up a neon green ball. He rolled it down the lane effortlessly, turning his back just as the ball was about to hit the pins to look at Michaela. A loud crash was heard as every pink was knocked down in a strike. Michaela's jaw dropped. He smirked and walked over to his girlfriend nonchalantly before sitting down next to her. "Don't be so sure about that, Princess."

They played four games and Leon let Michaela win all of them. He knew letting her win wasn't fair and it was sexist and all that, but the smile that lit up her face every time she won was worth it. When the last pin fell on the last game, she ran at him and jumped. He caught her easily and spun her around, pressing a kiss to her soft lips as her legs hooked around his waist.

Michaela giggled as he set her on her feet. Taking his face into her hands, she rubbed her thumbs over his cheeks loving the feel of the smooth skin underneath them in comparison to the ruff stubble underneath her palms. She kissed him fiercely putting all the feeling she could muster into it. He took a few steps back and sat down on the plastic bench with her against him, his hand placed flat on her lower back pushing her closer to him.

A loud '_ahem_' stopped them. They pulled away to find a teenage boy holding a broom looking at them nervously. "We're…um…we're…cl-closing. So, you know, you guys have to…leave. Please."

"Why of course," Michaela said as she untwined herself from Leon. She held out her hand for him to grab, trying to hide a laugh at how red his ears were. He was clearly embarrassed. "C'mon, babe. Let's get out of here."

Leon took her hand and together they walked out of the now empty bowling alley. She leant against the passenger's door of the Skyline, looking up at Leon as he leaned over her. He brushed his knuckles gently over the side of her soft face. "Why do you have to leave?" he groaned, pressing his forehead to hers. "We were just starting to have fun."

"And we'll have more fun when I get back," she insisted with a grin. His lip stuck out in a sad pout which made her giggle. "Don't be such a baby! It's only three months!" she exclaimed, giving his stomach a poke. "They'll pass by in a flash."

He gave her a quick kiss and nodded sullenly as he pulled away. "Not if Psycho boss has anything to do with it. I won't even get to talk to you on the phone!" he exclaimed as he opened the door for her and closed it behind her.

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I'm going to find a way."

"A way to fool a mafia boss? Good luck!" Leon scoffed, rolling his eyes.

Michaela shrugged her shoulder. "I have my ways," she said with a wink.

* * *

Thanks for reading!

Give me a review to let me know you liked it...or didn't like it. I love constructive criticism! :)

~LoveInk


	24. Tattoos and Trouble

Thanks so much for all your reviews! You guys are awesome!! :D

Let me know what you think of this chapter…

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Michaela, Alex, and Fisher…

* * *

**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 24: Tattoos and Trouble_

By: LoveInk

Vince smiled when he saw his little sister skip into their house. The party after the races was still going strong across the street, but Fisher had gotten sick so Alex and Mia had brought him over there to be out of the way of partygoers. Michaela sat down next to her brother and leant her head against his shoulder. "Hey pretty girl," he said, leaning his cheek against her head. "Have fun tonight?"

She nodded. "Where's Alex?"

"In the bathroom with Fisher and Mia," he explained on a sigh. "Stupid guy can't hold his liquor."

Michaela wrinkled her nose in disgust. "They're staying in the guest room, I take it?"

"Yeah," Vince said with a nod.

"Did you have fun?" she asked, though she already knew the answer. Her brother looked oddly relaxed and content as though he hadn't a care in the world. She would wager her lifesavings that it was Alex who made him feel so relaxed and happy.

"She got him to dance," Mia put in as she threw herself onto the love seat next to the couch. Her flushed cheeks were evidence that there had been something a little bit stronger than juice in her Snapple bottle that night. "You're a horrid dancer, by the way. It's no wonder you never do it. Except with her. She knew how to make him move so that he actually looked somewhat decent. It was incredible."

Vince shot her a dirty look, but Michaela grinned. "You get a kiss in?" she asked, nudging his ribs with her elbow.

Mia snorted and rolled her eyes. "Please, she wasn't drunk enough for that. Not that Vince didn't try. "Here Alex, try this. Try that. Just do one shot." And on and on. She'd take some but not enough to put her in poor Fisher's position."

"You can go home now, Mia," Vince stated pointing at the door. "Door's that way."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Bite me."

He leant forward, elbows on his knees his position almost menacing. "I am _this_ close," he started, holding his thumb and forefinger a few centimeters apart, "to telling Dom _exactly_ what you put in that Snapple. Now, go home."

She glared at him before pushing herself out of the chair and heading out the door, making sure to slam it behind her. Once she was gone, Michaela pinched Vince's arm. "Ow!" he shouted. "What the hell, Michaela?"

"Getting a girl drunk to take advantage of her is _wrong_! I don't know what you've been doing since I've been gone, but I _hope_ it was _not _that! You deserve a girl who loves you _sober_ and a girl deserves the right to _choose_ you sober, you dickhead!"

"Give me a little credit, Mickey. I've never forced a girl into anything," Vince defended himself with a scowl.

Michaela gave him a soft smile. "I know, V. I just saw the opportunity to lecture you, and I took it."

He flicked her nose and chuckled. "I wouldn't do that to her any way. I was just trying to get her to loosen up a little. She seemed so nervous."

"I would be too. We can be a bit intimidating," she stated with a laugh. "But she seems to like you. You guys should be friends. You can hang out when I'm gone and have fun!"

"Friends? You can't be friends with girls, Mickey. It doesn't work out that way."

"What about Mia and Letty?"

Vince shrugged a shoulder. "Not the same thing."

"Oh please, Vince."

"Where's Leon? Aren't you two attached at the hip?" Vince questioned, trying to change the subject.

She sat up and shrugged while sweeping her hair up into a high ponytail. "He said he needed to get something at the fort. I don't know what's taking him so…ow shit, Vince!" she shouted as he forced her head down, his hand sweeping the rest of the hair off the back of her neck.

"_Che diavolo? Cos' é quello_?" he questioned, poking a finger at the tattoo on the back of her neck. (_What the hell? What is that?_)

Michaela mentally kicked herself. Why did she put her hair up with him sitting so close? She knew the tattoo would piss her brother off! And now she was bent in half, her head forced painfully against her knees as her brother held her there and examined the tattoo at the base of her neck. "It's just a tattoo! _Levarsi di dosso_!" she yelled, fighting against his strong hold. (_Get off of me!_)

"_Ma dai_, Michaela Marie! It's a brand! _Spiegare_! Now." (_Bull shit, Michaela Marie! Explain.)_

She knew he was pissed when he bothslipped her middle name into his Italian. "_Rilassarsi_! An 'L' could mean anything!" (_Relax_!)

"Do you think I was born yesterday?"

"No, I just…Look, I didn't fight you when you got that eagle on your arm, all right?" she tried, crossing her arms over her chest.

He leaned forward to get a good look on her face. "Are you serious?" he asked incredulously. "You're really going to play that card?"

"Yes! And you got that when you were eighteen! I am twenty years old and got it after a _lot_ of thinking not because I thought it would look cool!"

Vince looked down at the Native American eagle style tattoo on his bicep. "It _does_ look cool! And I _did_ think about it! That is…that's just a _brand_!"

"It is not!" Michaela shouted back at him. She saw Alex walking down the stairs just then, looking just as bright and cheery as she had left her. "Alex, tell him it's not a brand!" she shouted to her, hoping the small girl could be a lifeline in a situation like this.

"It's not a brand," Alex said decidedly. She had no idea what they were talking about, but she figured it was better to repeat what Michaela said than say anything more and get the argument going again.

"Oh please," Vince scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Tiny, come look at this thing."

Michaela's eyebrows shot up at the pet name; Vince was not a pet name type of guy. Sure, he used shorter versions of names and occasionally called her "pretty girl", but he'd never gone so far as to call someone by something as cute as "Tiny." Alex walked over slowly and looked at what Vince was pointing at. "Looks like an 'L' to me," she said with a shrug. "That for Leon?"

"See!" Vince exclaimed, a triumphant smile on his face. "Thank you!"

"_Al-lex_!" Michaela groaned, slapping a palm to her forehead. "A little help here?"

Alex sat down next Vince with a sigh. "It's her body, right? So she should be able to do whatever she wants with it."

"_Thank_ you!" Michaela exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air.

It was then Leon walked in and the room fell silent. He looked around, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "What's going on?" he asked slowly.

"You," Vince stated getting to his feet.

Alex grabbed his hand and tugged him back down. "Calm down," she said, squeezing his hand reassuringly after he gave her an angry glare. "Don't look at me like that, _you_ are out of line."

Michaela fought back a laugh at the indignant look on her brother's face after being reprimanded by a girl almost half his size. She jumped up from the couch and skipped over to Leon before grabbing his hand. "We should go before he rips your head off."

"What 'd I do now?" Leon asked, completely confused as his girlfriend dragged him toward the stairs.

"Nothing. He just saw my tattoo," Michaela explained quietly as they headed up the stairs.

"Shit." Leon stopped in his tracks. He looked over the stairway at his angry friend. "V, I swear I didn't know about it. She got it when I was here!"

"_See_, he didn't even know," Alex said with an encouraging smile. "You can't be mad at him now."

Before Vince could say anything back to his sister or Leon, they'd disappeared down the hall. He gave Alex an annoyed look. "_I _was out of line!" he seethed, looking for a fight. "How would your sisters react to _you_ getting a stupid tattoo?"

"They weren't too please at first, but that's because I got it when I was fifteen using Izzie's I.D. She didn't know I was using her old I.D. until…"

"Hold up," Vince interrupted. "_You_ have a tattoo?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah."

He looked her up and down trying to see if he could find it as his anger slowly faded. "Where?"

"If I show you, will you leave Michaela alone?" she asked, seeing if she could save Michaela a little bit with an ultimatum.

Vince mulled over the suggestion. "Depends on where it is."

"Yeah right!" she scoffed, shaking her head at him. "You either agree and see it or don't."

Curiosity got the better of him. "All right. Let's see it."

She stood up from the couch. "You won't be mad at her tomorrow?"

Still clad in his mesh shirt and her tight jeans, Alex looked sexy as hell. The skin just above the top of her jeans was exposed and all Vince wanted to do was touch it. He could only imagine how soft the skin was there and how smooth it would feel under his callused fingers. Without another thought, he decided to find out himself. He set his thumbs on the exposed skin, wrapping his other fingers around her hips. He waited for her to slap his hands away with a scowl, but she didn't. A triumphant smile worked its way onto Vince's face. "I won't. Scout's honor."

She knew he was smiling because she hadn't pushed him away yet, and she knew she should pry his fingers off her, but something stopped her. His fingers were warm and gentle as they cupped her hips, his calloused thumb brushing softly over the skin there. It felt so good that she couldn't bring herself to push him away, so she didn't. Inhaling to regain the thoughts his touch had made her lose, she said, "I won't speak to you again if you get mad at her the day she's leaving."

"Alex, just show me the damn thing!" he exclaimed, frustrated.

Alex's hands went down to unbutton her jeans and Vince's eyes widened. "Oh relax," she scoffed with a roll of her eyes, "it's on my hip." She pulled down one side of her pants to reveal a music note with wings tattooed just below the waist of her pants.

His callused thumb dragged over the small tattoo causing her breath to hitch in her throat. Maybe it was the alcohol coursing through her system that skewed her judgment, making it impossible for her to pull away, or maybe it was something else. Before she could stop him, he had leant forward and placed a hot kiss on the tattoo, his beard tickling the soft skin there.

She swallowed hard, trying to slow down her heart and ice the fire that was current rushing through her body. "Vince," she gasped as he kissed it again. She grabbed his hair and pulled his head away from her. "I can't…we can't…I have a boyfriend."

He'd heard what she said, but the look in her eyes told him she didn't mean it. A wicked smile turned up the corner of his lips and made her heart skip a beat. Hastily, she let go of his hair and buttoned up her pants. Vince stood up, his face dangerously close to hers. "Sorry. Couldn't help myself," he said with a boyish grin.

"You're bad," she said pointing a finger in his face before pushing his chest so he'd back up. He didn't budge, so she took a step back. "And I'm going to bed."

"Where? The guest room only has a twin bed."

Alex narrowed her eyes at him. "I'll sleep right here on the couch then," she stated, ducking around him and throwing herself onto the couch. He raised an eyebrow at her as she stretched her arms up before tucking them behind her head. "Comfy."

Vince shook his head as he leant over her, picked her up, and threw her over his shoulder. "I don't think so."

"Put me down, you ogre! I _have_ a boyfriend!" she exclaimed through her laughter. She playfully hit his back as he carried her up the stairs and into his room.

He tossed her on the bed. "Comfier?" he questioned as he lay on his stomach next to her. "I'll leave if you want to sleep. The floor is perfect for me."

"I was _fine_ on the couch," Alex said stubbornly. "And I will feel awful if you sleep on your own _floor._"

"Are you saying you want to share the bed with me?" he questioned, his eyebrows raised suggestively.

She shrugged noncommittally and he grinned. Narrowing her eyes at him, she pointed a finger in his face and said, "But you have to keep your hands to yourself and your clothes on…_all _your clothes on."

"You mean, I can't sleep naked?" he asked, a smirk on his face to let her know he was joking.

"Nope, no nakedness," she said resolutely. "Deal?"

He nodded before pushing himself off the bed. "You want something more comfortable to wear? Those jeans look…tight."

The way Vince was looking her up and down made her cheeks flush and a fire spread through her belly. "Yeah, sure."

He pulled out an old Toretto's tee-shirt and a pair of his boxers and tossed them at her face. Giggling, she pulled them off and headed into the bathroom. When she came back, Vince was sitting on the floor leaning against the bed clad in a pair of boxers and a thin beater, strumming an acoustic guitar. "I didn't know you played," she said sitting down cross-legged on the bed behind him.

"Yeah," he said distractedly. There was clearly something else on his mind.

"You're worried about Michaela, aren't you?" Alex questioned, a small smile turning up the corners of her lips at his nod. "She's going to be fine, V. She'll go for a few months and then come back and she and Lee will live happily ever after. Or is that what you're worried about?"

Vince snorted and shook his head. "You want the truth?"

"Always."

"I like them together. Maybe he'll calm her down a bit. She's so freakin' impulsive. She left for Vegas without a set job, just an audition and who knows how many other letters of the alphabet she has tattooed on her body. I wouldn't be surprised if she's got all twenty-six of them!"

Alex fought back a giggle as she pulled his hair. "That's not a nice thing to say about your sister!"

He laughed. "It's true! God, you don't know how many guys I've had to chase out of her room with a shot gun."

She didn't fight back her giggles this time. "You're a good brother. She's lucky to have you, big guy."

"I don't think she would agree with you," he said with a chuckle.

"You'd be surprised," she stated before she lay down on her stomach, her head even with his. "What song are you toying with?" she asked peering at the guitar strings.

"Guess," he said, strumming more confidently so the sound of the chords filled the room.

Alex took a minute to left the music wash over her. She let her eyes drift close and hummed along with the tune, a smile on her face. "_Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand and now she's in me, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand_," she sang softly.

"You're an awful singer," Vince teased. It wasn't true, she actually didn't sound that bad, but he knew she'd hit him or tug on his hair and he wanted that kind of contact. He liked the feel of her skin on his.

Just as he predicted, she pulled his hair again. "Let's hear you sing, then," she challenged.

He shook his head. "No dice. I only sing for single girls."

"You're a jerk," she said sticking her tongue out at him. She yawned loudly and crawled back onto the bed. "And I'm going to sleep."

Vince put the guitar back in its case and joined her on the bed. He lay on his back staring at the ceiling while Alex lay curled next to him, her eyes on his face. He still looked a bit nervous and worried. "She's going to be fine, V," she reassured him, reaching out a hand to pat his arm gingerly. "And if you miss bugging her, you can always come over and bug me."

He chuckled. "Watch out, I might take you up on that offer."

* * *

Did you like it?? I hope it was acceptable!!

The song is "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John. It's one of my absolute faves! I just saw Almost Famous and have had it stuck in my head for months now! (If you haven't seen Almost Famous and don't know the scene I'm talking about…definitely watch it. It's the best part of the movie and makes the song so much better!)

Review pretty please!!

Thanks!

-LoveInk


	25. The Right Kind of Stubborn

Thanks so much for all your reviews! Sorry it took so long for me to update! My classes this quarter are INSANE!!! But I have the next chapter almost done so that should be up really soon! :)

As always, I welcome all reviews good or bad! Thanks so much for all the readers who _do_ review! You guys are awesome! :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Michaela, Alex, and Fisher…

* * *

**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 25: The Right Kind of Stubborn_

By: LoveInk

Michaela couldn't sleep. She stared up at the ceiling fan watching the blades spin in slow circles while the past events drifted through her mind. She didn't want to leave. Her hand gently smoothed Leon's hair down as she thought. He was sleeping peacefully on top of her in his usual position with his head resting on her collar bone. It was going to hurt to leave him that she knew. She'd already dealt with the same pain before when she'd told him to leave but she had a feeling it would hurt more this time especially since she knew he loved her. Since she knew she had him to come home to.

"You're thinking too loud," Leon murmured against her skin, "and you're petting me."

She smiled softly. "Sorry."

"No worries. It feels good," he said on a sigh. He propped himself up on an elbow and studied her face for a brief moment. He could tell something was going through her head. "Talk."

Michaela gave him a soft smile. "This isn't normal, Lee. It shouldn't have to be like this. I should stay here with you until my vacation is over. I shouldn't be nervous about not renewing my contract…"

"Wait, why are you nervous about that? You have a two year contract. Those two years are over so you should be free to go," Leon said, a confused look on his face. "_Right_?"

She nodded in agreement. "I _should_ be free to quit. I _should _be free to stay here. I _should_ be able to date. Are you seeing a trend?"

"You don't think he'll let you go," he stated, a worried look passing through his green eyes. "You know he can't do that, legally. When you're contract is over, that's it. He has no power over you."

"Since when does Rick care what's legal and what isn't?"

Leon nodded; she was right. He'd seen the older man do things that were illegal before and suffer no consequences for them. "Let me explain things to Dom, and I'll meet you in Vegas. I can protect you there."

"Are you crazy! No! He'll kill you!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide in fear. "I'll be fine! I have Petey."

Leon didn't look too confident in her statement. Pete was her bodyguard; someone she claimed was like a father to her. He was a nice older guy, buff and balding but always cheerful. Michaela trusted him with everything, but Leon didn't. After all, Pete was on her boss's payroll so he was more likely to be loyal to Rick than to Michaela. "Rick pays Pete, Princess. I know you trust him and all, but you really shouldn't."

Michaela rolled her eyes dramatically. "Don't start this again, Lee. Pete has always protected me."

"On whose orders?" Leon questioned a smug look on his face when her look turned into a glare.

"Look, I feel safe around Pete, and I have this sense of intuition that never fails. It's a family thing. We know what people are bad and what people are good within seconds of meeting them, and Petey is good. I know it."

"Are you telling me you have super powers?" he teased with a grin. "Because, I've always had a thing for Wonder Woman."

"Oh yeah?" A sexy smirk pulled up the corner of Michaela's full lips. She used all her strength to push him off her and onto his back beside her before throwing one leg over his torso. "I'll show you superpowers," she whispered as she dipped her head to kiss his mouth.

Vince was surprised to wake up with Alex cuddled to his chest. His arm was draped over her shoulders holding her closely to his chest. He'd be worried about invading her personal space if her forearm wasn't resting on his hip. He gently nudged her shoulder trying to wake her up. She nuzzled her face into his neck and let out a quiet moan causing an unfamiliar sensation spread through his stomach. He figured it was hunger and shook it off without much thought. "Tiny, wake up," he murmured. Her eyelashes tickled his neck as she opened her eyes. "Morning sunshine," he said, chuckling as she jerked away from him in surprise.

She sat up and scooted a little farther away. "I am _so_ sorry! I don't know what I was doing!" she apologized, her cheeks turning red with embarrassment.

"S'okay, Tiny," he said with a laugh. "I'm not complaining. I like being violated in my sleep."

Her jaw dropped in disbelief. She could not believe he just said that. "I did not violate you!" she exclaimed, grabbing a nearby pillow and smacking him in the face with it. Laughing, he took his own pillow and gently hit her with it. "You're a wuss," Alex stated sticking her tongue out at him. "Is that really all you got?"

"I'm not gonna hit a girl," he replied with a snort.

"Oh yeah?" she questioned, smacking him again, harder this time. She knew his competitive side would come out eventually. When he didn't react, she did it again. "C'mon, Vinnie! Stop being such a chauvinistic baby!"

"I'll show you chauvinistic," he grumbled as he sat up and hit her with another pillow. She giggled and retaliated with another hit. "You really want to fight with me?" Vince questioned watching as Alex got up on her knees, ready to strike again.

"Bring it on, big guy!"

They were both laughing as they smacked each other with the pillows. Vince managed to knock the pillow out of her hand so she tackled him. He fell back on the bed with her on top of him, their faces inches apart.

And then they were kissing. Alex didn't know who initiated it, but she couldn't deny the way his kiss made her feel. Feelings that were surprisingly foreign to her and impossible to explain. It just felt…right. She wrenched herself away from him, jumping off the bed to put as much space between them as possible. Every bone in her body told her to get back in bed with the handsome man in front of her and finish what they started, but her brain stopped her. "I have to go," she said grabbing her jeans off the floor.

"Tiny, don't…" Vince called after her, his lips still tingling from their kiss.

"No, I can't…I just…Eddie is…and you're…" Her brain was so addled by everything that she couldn't even form a complete sentence. "I just need to go," she managed to say as she left the room.

She hurried into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. "What happened to you?" a voice asked.

Alex gasped in surprised and wheeled around to find Fisher on the floor looking absolutely miserable. "Nothing," she said a little too quickly. "You look awful."

"Gee, thanks Salvy," he muttered sarcastically as he ran a hand over his face. "And you look…well, to be honest, you look quite flushed. What the hell happened?"

She kicked off Vince's sweats and pulled on her jeans. Fisher didn't bother averting his eyes and she didn't care, either; they both knew he wasn't interested in her. "We kissed. I don't know who initiated it or how it happened but it did and…well…yeah."

"Well yeah what? Where are the details? The description? Was it good, bad, what?"

"I'll tell you later," she hissed at him. "Now, we're leaving. C'mon, get up!"

He shook his head. "Two word summary," he demanded.

"Amazingly confusing?" she spat out quickly. Satisfied with her answer, Fisher held out his hand for her to help him up. Rolling her eyes, she pulled him off the floor and to his feet. "Let's go, drunkie."

Grumbling, he stood and let her help him out the hall. They said a quick goodbye to Michaela before heading out the door. Michaela watched the car leave from the front door with an eyebrow raised. "That was weird," she mused to Leon who was watching a basketball game on the TV. "Vince!" she shouted up the stairs, the volume of her voice causing Leon to wince.

"I don't want to talk about it!" he shouted back down.

"_That _was the wrong choice of words," Leon mumbled to himself. Michaela smacked his head gently as she walked past him on the way to the stairs. He chuckled as she took the stairs two at a time on the way to her brother's room.

She knocked on Vince's door. "_I_ want to talk about it! Open up!"

"Leave me alone!" he shouted back stubbornly.

"C'mon big brother! I'm leaving today and right now may be the last time we have a serious talk for three whole _months_! Open up! Please!"

"_Rompicoglioni,_" he muttered under his breath before opening the door. "What do you want?" (_Pain in the ass_)

"Hi!" A triumphant smile spread across her face. "I want to know why Alex left so quickly. What'd you do?"

He glared at her. "What'd _I_ do? Why'd I have to do something?" he asked defensively.

Michaela rolled her eyes as she pushed passed him into the room. "Okay then, what happened?" she asked, sitting on the edge of his bed.

"I don't know, Mickey. One minute we're joking around, the next we're kissing."

"What?" she questioned with a happy grin. "She let you kiss her? Did she pull away right away or did she savor it? Was it a good kiss? Did you get some tongue in?"

His face pulled into a disgusted scowl. "This is not a conversation I want to have with _you_."

She frowned, disappointed. "Aw, why not?"

"Because if I open up to you, you'll open up to me, and I do _not_ want to hear about your love life. Especially if you want Leon to live to see another year," he explained with a smirk. Sighing, he took a seat on the bed next to her. "When are you leaving?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "Too soon. My bodyguard, Petey, is coming to pick me up sometime around two or three. We're flying out."

"What about the car?"

Michaela smiled; of course her brother would be concerned about the car. "Mauro is coming with Petey. He'll drive it back."

Vince's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Why can't you drive it back?"

She bit her lip. Should she tell him now? Just spill the beans and let him know all about her life and job in Las Vegas? "Because…I…I…don't want to. Especially not alone. And Petey's a huge guy. There's no way he'd be comfortable in the Corvy," she replied, totally chickening out.

"Vette. In the Vette. If you're gonna shorten Corvette, at least make it sound cool," Vince corrected under his breath. "I doubt Pete would be uncomfortable in the Corvette. It's got a lot of leg room."

Michaela raised an eyebrow. For some reason, she got the feeling that Vince knew Petey despite the fact that, to her knowledge, he'd never met him. She shook her head, smiling at herself. Of course, Vince didn't know Pete. He was just stating a fact; the Corvette _did_ have a lot of leg room. "Yeah, but if we drive, I'll be late for the first rehearsal and we pay the choreographer _way_ too much for me to be late," she made up on the spot.

"Whatever, Michaela," he said on a sigh.

She leant her head on his shoulder. "Hey V?"

"Hmm?"

"Will you take care of him?" she asked softly, her blue eyes looking up at her older brother.

She watched his jaw clench briefly before he nodded. "Of Leon? If by take care, you mean make sure he doesn't touch another woman, sure. I can do that."

"No, I'm not worried about that. I just...I don't know, I feel like he needs someone to watch out for him. He's always watching out for Jess and for everyone else, but I don't think he watches out for himself."

Vince shrugged a shoulder. "I'll keep an eye out."

"Thanks, bro," she said with a smile. "You going to miss me?"

He rolled his eyes and wrapped her in a headlock. "I'm not gonna miss you being a pain in the ass all the time, that's for sure."

"Ha ha, real funny," Michaela said with a roll of her eyes. She knew her brother would miss her "pain in the ass" moments because they gave him something to do. They let him be the overbearing, overprotective alpha male that he loved. It was one of the reasons she wanted him to find a girlfriend so he could focus on protecting her instead of his little sister. She remembered how much it eased Mia's pain when Dominic wasn't just focused on her. "Hey, about Alex…"

"Don't," he cut her off with a glare.

She grinned and elbowed him gently. "C'mon, V. Just call her, hang out. Girls like her like to be friends with a guy before anything else happens."

"She's got a boyfriend, Mickey. Drop it."

"I will not," she said stubbornly. "Get to know her. She'll fall for you real fast, I know it."

"What part of 'boyfriend' don't you understand?"

Michaela snorted and rolled her eyes. "Well, she let her kiss you didn't she?"

Vince smirked proudly. "That she did."

"You have a chance, V. Be stubborn about the right thing for once in your life."

"Whatever you say, Mickey," he said with a roll of his eyes. "Don't you have packing to do?"

She nodded, kissed his cheek, and left him with his thoughts. He ran a hand over his face and up through his hair. "Crazy girl," he muttered to himself with a shake of his head. "She's got a point, though."

* * *

Like it? Hate it? Let me know! Thanks!

The next one is coming soon...

~Love Ink


	26. He Had It Coming

Thanks so much for all your reviews! You guys are awesome!!

Let me know what you think of this chapter…

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Michaela, Alex, and anyone else that's not from the movie ;)

* * *

**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 26: He Had It Coming_

By: LoveInk

A sense of dread filled Michaela's heart as she watched the limo turn the corner. She zipped up her filled suitcase and just stared at the black vehicle. "When I was little, I used to confuse limos with hearses," she told Leon who was lying on the bed behind her tossing a die up at the ceiling. It was part of a pair Michaela had gotten at a casino. One night, she had bought a set of dice and had given him one for luck. She'd kept hers close ever since and apparently, so had he. She smiled at him and turned back to her suitcase. "Vince explained the difference to me and I just never got it. The windows always tripped me up. 'Why do the dead need windows?' I'd asked Vince over and over again. And he told me so that they can see how many people are following them. How many people loved them."

He smirked, catching the die expertly in one hand. "Smart kid. What happened?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "He met Dom and caught the dumb," she stated simply.

"That's a good one," Leon said on a chuckle. He pushed himself up off the bed and headed Michaela's way. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and leant his chin on her shoulder. "I got something for you, Princess," he stated before slipping a small silver chain around her neck. Dangling from the chain was a small moon with a small diamond star coming off the tip of the crescent.

"Lee, this is beautiful!" she gasped as she fingered the small charm. "Does it mean something?"

He shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly. "No. I saw it and thought of you. I could bullshit a meaning if you want. You're the big moon in my life or you're as pointy as a star."

She laughed at his fail attempts while shaking her head at her goofy boyfriend. "I'm you're big moon, how awfully romantic," she drawled sarcastically. She smiled down at the charm anyway. It was so typical of him to buy her something just because.. "I love it," she said giving him a quick peck on the lips. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome," he said pulling her in for a big hug. He kissed her temple before burying his face in her neck. "I miss you already."

"I know." A few tears fell down her face as she let out a laugh. "Stop being mushy, you're going to make me cry."

Leon pulled away from her and gently brushed away the tears. "Too late."

She nodded, sniffling a little. "God, I'm _such _a baby!"

"You're _my_ baby," he said kissing her lips once again.

Michaela groaned at his comment and rolled her eyes. "Stop it! You're such a mush-head!"

"You love it," he replied with a chuckle.

"Michaela!" Vince's voice called up the stairs. "Limo's here!"

Michaela sighed, wrapping Leon in a tight hug. "I don't want to go."

Leon chuckled again and kissed her forehead before pulling away. He let his fingers trail over her cheek and then gently over her lips. "I love you, Michaela."

"I know," she managed to get out before a sob escaped her lips. "Love you too."

Vince watched his little sister run down the steps with Leon trailing behind her with her bags. She skipped passed him and out the door leaving the two boys alone. "Three months," Vince stated on a sad sigh.

"Three months," Leon repeated his tone just as sad as his friend's. "She'll be all right though. Pete's a good guy. He takes good care of her."

"He better," he mumbled in response before heading out the door.

"Vince! Come meet Petey!" Michaela called to her brother.

Vince walked over to where an older bald man was leaning against the limo. "Hows it going?" Pete asked in his Brooklyn accent holding out a beefy hand for Vince to shake. "I'm your sister's bodyguard in Vegas. I assumed you take over my duties while she's here."

Vince chuckled and shook the man's hand. "Nice to meet you Petey," he said with a smirk. Leon raised an eyebrow at the Vince and Pete. There was something about the way the two men were regarding each other that made him think they'd met before. The matching smirks on their faces gave him the feeling there was some kind of inside joke they were sharing a laugh over.

"You too, Vince," Pete replied before turning to Leon. "Hows it going, Leon?"

Leon shook Peter's hand in greeting and shrugged a shoulder. "Honestly, I've been better."

"That's understandable." Peter smiled before nodding toward Michaela. "You ready to go, peanut?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," she said with a frown. "What about the Vette, Petey?"

"Mauro will be over to get it in a few days," Pete explained, waving his hand toward the blue car. "He'll drive it back."

"Oh okay," Michaela said with a quick nod. "What time is the flight at?"

"In about two and a half hours," Peter replied after checking his watch. "We should probably go soon. I'll get in this monster and give you some privacy. Nice to meet you, Vince."

Vince nodded to him before shaking his hand again. "Keep her safe, Petey."

Pete nodded back. "Will do." The big man grabbed Michaela's bags and tossed them into the limo before getting in and shutting the door behind him.

Michaela looked at the two men she loved most in her life. Leon stood with his hands in his pockets, chewing on a toothpick nervously. Vince was eyeing the limo with severe distaste, a tired look in his blue eyes. "Guess this is it?" he said giving her a sad smile.

She nodded somberly before rushing into his arms. "I love you."

"Yeah, yeah. I love you too, you little snot," he said with a smirk as he gave her a squeeze. "You be good in Sin City, all right?"

"I will," Michaela replied with a nod of her head. "And you…give Alex a call. Hang out with her. You _can _be friends, trust me."

Vince shrugged a shoulder. "We'll see."

She rolled her eyes at him before pressing a quick kiss to his scruffy cheek. He gave her one last squeeze before heading back to the porch and leaving her alone with Leon. "Lee," she started grabbing his hand in her own. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He smiled at her as he used his free hand to gently brush a strand of hair behind her ear. "Just be careful, Michaela. Be safe," he pleaded softly as he took the toothpick out of his mouth.

"I'll be back before you know it," she said trying for a smile as a few tears slipped down her cheeks. "And we can be together for as long as we want, okay? We can be happy."

He nodded, leaning down to kiss her lips. "Okay."

"You'll wait right? You won't change your mind?" she asked, insecurity bleeding into her voice.

Leon chuckled and kissed her again. "I'll wait as long as I have to, Princess," he whispered against her lips. "_Non scordare mai quanto ti amo_, _Sempre e per sempre._" (Always remember that I love you. Always and forever.)

A shocked look crossed her face. "Italian? Where'd that come from?"

"Something I picked up along the way," he said with a smirk.

Pete rolled down the window and called out to Michaela. She waved him off before going back to her boyfriend. "Well, in that case…_sei irresistibile. Voglio fare l'amore ve proprio adesso_, " she said with a naughty smile. Leon heard Vince make a disgusted noise and wondered what she'd said.

"What was that?" he asked, his eyebrows raised.

She stood on her tip toes and gave him one last, long kiss. "You'll figure it out," she said giving him a wink as she got back into the car. "See you later, handsome."

Leon walked back to where Vince was standing and the two watched the limo drive down the block until it was out of sight. "What'd she say?" Leon asked curiously.

"She said she hopes you two never have sex again because you're really bad at it," Vince lied easily.

"Huh, that's funny," Leon said, knowing Vince lying through his teeth, "I didn't hear her complaining last night."

Vince's fist hit Leon's face faster than the speed of light. It was just one hit, but it was enough to make sure Leon knew never to talk to him about his sister like that again. Leon didn't protest he just nodded. "Yeah, I had that one coming," he said in agreement.

"I'd say so," Vince said with a satisfied grin.

* * *

Note: Michaela said, "I can't resist you. I want to make love to you right now"

Hope you liked it! Please leave me a review so I know you guys are still reading/enjoying this story!! Thanks!! 3

~Love Ink


	27. You Found Me

Sorry it's taken me so long to get this up! For some reason, it took forever! I have three different versions of this chapter! (So if you don't like something about this one, let me know!) Thanks so much for taking the time to review the story! I really appreciate your feedback and it just makes my day! :)

As always, your comments are greatly appreciated :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Michaela and Alex

* * *

**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 27: You Found Me_

By: LoveInk

_Ten days later…_

Alex groaned when she heard her phone ring. It was midday and she had been in the middle of a nap after a long morning of helping her aunt with screaming preschoolers in ballet class. Reaching an arm out from under her covers, she managed to grab her vibrating phone. "Gigi, I can't take another class. I am _not_ a ballet teacher. Any other dance, yes, but not ballet. Please."

The laughter she heard from the other side told her it was _not_ Gigi on the phone. "Oh shit, are the girls _that_ bad?"

"Oh, hey Mickey," Alex said, her voice already brighter. "They're not that bad. Gigi's been on my ass about keeping a straight back while doing my _plies_. Sometimes I feel like she trying to teach me instead of the girls so I can finally live out her dream of being a prima ballerina. Can you come back now? Please? Before she buys me a tutu?"

"I _wish_," Michaela replied with a groan. "Have you heard from my brother lately? Do you know what's going on with everyone over there?"

Alex sighed. Michaela had been calling everyday to ask about her brother and her boyfriend, but in the ten days that had passed since she left; she hadn't seen either of them. "No. Sorry. Why don't you just call?"

"Look, Al, we've been over this. I can't call home because my calls are traced. Remember? I have big bad mafia boss? I can call you because I'm telling Rick that I'm trying to get you and Fisher's help with our routines."

"Right," Alex answered with a nod. She got out of bed and changed into some jeans. Pulling her hair up into a ponytail with one hand, she grabbed her keys with the other and headed out the door.

As Michaela rambled on, she started the Jeep. "Was that a car? Are you driving?" she asked suspiciously.

Alex smirked. "Yes. It's called multitasking. You should try it some time," she shot back sarcastically. Michaela ignored her jab and continued on with what she was talking about before. She pulled into her destination and jumped down from her Jeep. "Hey, can you hold a sec? I got a call on the other line," she told Michaela as she headed up the driveway and into Toretto's.

"Leon?" she called out, her eyes searching the garage for a sign of life. She was surprised they were even open on a Sunday.

Leon walked toward the front of the shop when he heard his name, wiping his hands on a rag as he did so. "Well look who it is," he drawled with a smile. "Vince is over there." He gestured over to a green car with black work boots sticking out from under it. "He's got his headphones on. I bet you could scare the shit out of him if you wanted to."

"Oh no, I'm not…I'm not here for Vince," she said, a blush rising to her cheeks. "I actually, uh, have something for you. Can you just listen to this for a sec? I'm on hold with my credit card company. I think Fisher's been using it behind my back," she mumbled, shoving the phone at Leon while she rifled through her purse.

He put the phone to his ear and heard…nothing. "Lex? What gives? There's nothing here."

"Oh snap! Press the hold button and say hello a few times. The music will come back on," she encouraged him with a smile.

Leon gave her a suspicious look before he pressed the un-hold button. "Hello? Stupid card company with crappy music?"

"Leon?" a familiar voice replied. "Please tell me this is really you and Alex is not amazingly good at impressions."

"No, it's me! Is this my Princess?" Leon asked both the person on the phone and Alex. Alex grinned proudly and nodded. "You're the best, Lex," he exclaimed, giving her a quick peck on the cheek as he made his way to the back of the shop, phone still pressed firmly to his ear.

Vince rolled out from underneath his car when he saw Leon's feet pass by. He quirked his head to the side in curiosity when he saw Alex standing in the middle of the garage, her hands in her pockets, bouncing anxiously on the balls of her feet, her ponytail bouncing with her. Her ripped jeans rode low on her hips and the bottoms pooled around her flip flops, they were tattered from where she'd stepped on them countless times. A tight yellow wife-beater clung to her curves showing just a little bit of skin where her shirt stopped and jeans started. She looked like a little surfer girl thrown way out of her element, something he found endearing for a reason he couldn't put his finger on.

He stealthily tapped her left shoulder and managed to move out of her view as she turned. "Got you," he whispered in her right ear, a smirk on his face.

Alex swallowed thickly trying to control her rampantly beating heart. It was hard to have him so close to her and not react that way. "Yeah," she managed to get out lamely.

Vince chuckled as he noticed the blush rising to her cheeks. He loved how it was so easy to make her blush. The girls he knew had lived with him and the rest of the guys for so long; nothing made them blush any more. "Did your Jeep break down?" he asked staring at the light blue vehicle in the drive.

She shook her head. "Nah."

"Tire pop?"

"Nope," she answered as she rolled onto the balls of her feet and then back down again. It seemed she was always moving.

"Then why the hell are you here?" he asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Alex shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly. "Maybe I wanted to see Leon."

"Leon?" Vince repeated before shaking his head. "I highly doubt that."

"And why's that?"

He rolled his eyes. "C'mon Tiny, we both know you came here to see me," he teased with a cocky grin.

It was then Leon came bounding into the garage and swept her up into an enormous hug, lifting her off her feet in the process. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," he chanted as he spun her around.

Vince looked at him like he'd grown another head when he finally set Alex down. "What the hell is going on here?"

"Mickey called me to talk and then was going on and on about me investigating into your personal lives for her, so I thought I'd bring the cell phone to Lee and save myself the embarrassment of asking you two highly personal questions for Michaela by letting her ask them herself," Alex explained with a grin. "How was it?" she asked Leon.

"Wait, hold up," Vince interjected, holding a finger in the air to stop Leon from answering her question. "My sister called _you_," he pointed to Alex, "you gave the phone to _him_," he pointed at Leon, "and no one thought _I'd_ like to talk to her?"

Alex instantly felt bad. She honestly hadn't given any thought to the fact Vince might want to talk to his sister. "Next time she calls, no matter what time it is, I'll bring the phone to you. I promise. I'm sorry."

"You'll make me feel better if you take me to lunch," he said with a small smile. "C'mon, take me to your favorite spot."

"And what if you don't like it?" she tested, arms crossed over her chest.

Leon snorted and rolled his eyes. "That's unlikely. He'll eat anything. He's like a bottomless pit."

"I can re-shine that black eye of yours any time, Lee," Vince threatened sending him a glare.

"I was just about to ask about that lovely bruise on your face," Alex mused before sending a punch into Vince's arm. "That was a mean thing to do, you big bully."

Vince could not believe she just scolded him like that. "Excuse me. Do you know what he did?"

"If it's about the tattoo, then you're seriously in trouble because you promised you wouldn't," she replied, sticking a finger in his face.

"Nah, relax Shorty," Leon drawled with a smirk. "I deserved it. He said Michaela said I was bad at sex so and I said, 'That's not what she said last night' and then boom! Black eye." After his explanation, Alex reached out her hand and pinched his arm, hard. "Ow! Jeez! What the hell?"

"No wonder he hit you! You don't _say _things like that to her _brother _of all people!" she exclaimed, trying her best to look seriously disgusted but failing miserably. "You with the word vomit and you with the punching, I know five year old girls who behave better than you two!"

Vince and Leon exchanged a quick glance. "Hose?" Vince asked.

"Hose," Leon answered with a nod before disappearing into the back.

"Hose?" Alex echoed just before Vince grabbed her off the ground and threw her over his shoulder. "No! Put me down! This isn't funny!"

Vince put her down in the back outside. As soon as her feet were on the ground, a jet of cold water hit her square in the face. She didn't stand there for long, instead she ran at Leon, full force to try and steal the hose from him. As they struggled, the stream of water passed over Vince and soon, he was fighting along with them for control of the hose.

An hour later, Mia walked into the shop to find the three of them lying out in the sun. Alex's head was propped up against Leon's side and Vince's head was resting on her stomach. Her hand was absentmindedly playing with Vince's half-way dry hair while she listened to Vine and Leon talk about their cars.

_What is she doing?_ Mia wondered. Why would Alex throw her relationship with her boyfriend away like that? And for _Vince_ of all people! The mere thought disgusted her. She speed walked out to them, leaning over them with a scowl. "What are you doing?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

"These douche bags sprayed me with the hose," Alex explained with a smirk, "and after I was so nice to them, too."

"Yeah, well, you got us back," Vince pointed out, jabbing a finger into her side.

Mia rolled her eyes at them. "Alex, we need to talk."

"Okay," Alex replied, pushing Vince's head off her non-too-gently. She stood up and brushed herself off before following Mia into Dom's small office.

As soon as she was inside the office, Mia slammed the door behind her. "What are you doing?" she questioned, her voice borderline mad.

Alex couldn't help but feel confused; last time she checked, she hadn't done anything wrong. "Visiting friends?" she replied slowly. "Did I distract them from their job? I'm sorry, it didn't really seem like they were doing much."

"No, no, that's fine. I mean, what are you doing flirting with _Vince_? You have a boyfriend! A very good one, in fact!"

"Mia, this is none of your business," Alex said calmly, trying her best not to get angry. She'd just met the girl and didn't want to get on her bad side. "Please, stay out."

Mia rolled her eyes. "Vince is my business, and I know him like the back of my hand," she explained, "and I _know_ he can't treat you as well as Eddie does."

"I'm sorry, how do you know that?" Alex shot back, raising an eyebrow. "Do you have some connection with Eddie that I don't know about?"

"No but I—"

"Right, I didn't think so," Alex cut her off rudely. "I have been friends with guys all my life and have never once cheated on Eddie with any of them. I love Eddie, a lot. Okay? We've been dating for almost five _years_ and have gone through everything together. And yes, I like Vince. He's a great guy. He's hilarious and fun to be with and yes, maybe if I wasn't with Eddie, there'd be a chance for us."

"Yeah—"

"But I _am_ with Eddie," she interrupted again. "And I don't plan on breaking that off anytime soon. So rest assured, little fan girl, I won't be the bitch to break Eddie Romero's heart." She headed toward the door, her cheeks flushed in anger. "I'll see you around."

Vince and Leon watched Alex stomp out of the shop both incredibly confused. "What'd you do?" Vince questioned suspiciously.

"Nothing," Mia said with a scowl. "She's about as willing to talk about her personal life with me as you two are!"

"_Mia_," Vince almost whined. "You can't talk to her about those things! Do you know how many people use her personal life for show? She can't trust anyone with that shit!"

"How do _you_ know? You've only hung out with her, what, twice?

He didn't hear her; he was already at his car with the door open. "Tell Dom I took the rest of the day off because you did something stupid, all right?"

"You can't do that!" Mia shouted at him. "He can't do that, right?" she asked turning back to Leon.

Leon shrugged. "You've been here longer than I have."

Vince honestly didn't know where to go. Mia had made a good point when she said he didn't know Alex that well. He didn't know the first thing about her. That's when he saw the lime green Jeep out of the corner of his eye in front of…a library. He parked his car in the lot and walked inside the large building. The smell of old books hit him hard; he couldn't remember the last time he'd set foot inside of a library.

He walked around the place feeling out of place and uncomfortable under the stare of the librarian at the front desk. He nodded to her in greeting and to his surprise, she smiled back at him. Clearing his throat, he approached the older woman. "I'm looking for a short brunette…"

"Oh, of course. She went that-a way," the woman answered giving him a sweet smile.

Vince nodded his thanks and headed in the direction the woman had pointed. Sure enough, he found Alex meandering down the aisle, her fingers running along the spines of the books as she went. He wondered what she was looking for. He snuck into the aisle next to the one she was in and watched her discreetly over the books of the shelves in front of him. She had slipped a book out and was leafing through it, eyebrows drawn together in concentration. A soft smile crossed her face as she found whatever it was she was looking for.

Alex flipped through the first poetry book she found. She came across one who's title interested her and read it slowly, letting the words wash over her. It was perfect. The lines described exactly how she felt. The urge to rip the page out and show it to anyone who questioned her relationship with her boyfriend was strong. It was an example, something to tell her that she was not the only one who felt that way. That was when she sensed it, or rather, him. But there's was no way he'd found her. Not at the library. Not even Fisher could find her when she disappeared here. She glanced up to find two familiar blue eyes staring back at her; she'd been correct.

Her breath caught in her throat. "You found me," she managed to say, a semi-shocked look on her face.

A slow smile spread across his face. "Your Jeep sticks out like a sore thumb," he said with a nod before meandering to her side of the stack. "Plus, I love the library. Its where I come to think."

She snorted. "Liar."

He nodded in agreement. "Whatcha lookin' at?"

"Poetry," she said feeling another blush rise to her cheeks as he read over her shoulder. "Pablo Neruda's to be exact."

Vince read over the words, squinting at them in confusion. "That's _not_ in English," he stated.

"Spanish," she corrected with a soft smile. "The translation is on the next page."

"_You_ speak _Spanish_?" he asked, hooked on the idea of her speaking a language he'd always found sexy.

She shrugged a shoulder. "Not well. I'm better at Portuguese. My mom's from Brazil and my dad's from Argentina so I know a little of both."

"Now _that's_ hot," he said frankly with a smile on his face. His smile got bigger when she scowled at him. "Read it."

"You," she said, shoving the book into his stomach.

"I don't speak Spanish, you do," he said pushing it back at her.

She flipped the page. "Read the translation."

"Why do you want to make me read?" Vince questioned an eyebrow raised.

She smirked then, and he knew whatever she was going to say next would be dripping with sarcasm. "I'm testing to see if a big Neanderthal like you _can _read," she quipped. "It's a new study. I might publish it in some anthropological magazine. 'Neanderthal found! And he can read!' I'll be famous!"

"If I don't kill you first," he shot back at her before grabbing the book. He cleared his throat and read:

"_I do not love you except because I love you_

_I go from loving to not loving you,_

_From waiting to not waiting for you_

_My heart moves from cold to fire._"

He stopped after the first stanza and just looked at her. "This about the douche bag?" he asked, closing the book but using his finger to keep the page.

She nodded, "Pretty much."

"I'm going to go vomit now," he said handing the book off to her.

She hit him with it. "Be nice! You don't even know him!"

Vince chuckled and slung an arm around her shoulders. "I don't have to," he stated assuredly. "So were you planning on just hanging out here all day?"

"Unless I hear a better offer," she said with a shrug.

"Well, if I remember correctly, you owe me food."

Alex laughed and nodded. "Why am I not surprised that you remembered the food? Do you like Chinese? Right now all I want to do is curl up with a good movie and some greasy food."

"Greasy food is good," Vince said with a nod, "but I'm not watching some romantic movie."

"Don't worry, big guy. I wouldn't put you through that."

* * *

The poem is "I Do Not Love You Except Because I Love You" by Pablo Neruda. I read it in my Spanish class the other day and thought it fit perfectly for Alex's current relationship. I didn't want to put the whole thing here, but if you're interested it can be found online. :) Definitely worth a read!

So...you like? Mia's a bit mean, but she has her heart in the right place. Hehe

Review, review, review...please?

~Love Ink


	28. A Look Inside

GAH! It's been so long since I've updated!! Sorry!! I've been going crazy with exams and stuff! So here's a short chapter which should be followed by another one soon!! :) Thank you for sticking with me and reviewing! You guys are the greatest!! :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Alex :)

* * *

**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 28: A Look Inside_

**By: LoveInk**

The cartons of food littered the coffee table as they sat on Alex's plush couch. Some action movie was on in the background but they weren't paying attention to it. Alex was sitting cross-legged on the cushion facing him as he sat with his legs stretched out before him, feet propped up on the coffee table. "So what's a typical night out for Vincent Catella?"

He pulled a face at the name. "Don't call me that," he said shaking his head. "And you don't want to know."

She nodded. "Oh yes I do. I wouldn't have asked if I didn't."

"Races and party. You saw it," he answered with a shrug. "That's it."

"Liar," she accused a knowing smirk on her face. "You race, you party, and then you screw every girl who throws herself at you."

He raised an eyebrow at her, surprised by her accurate guess. "Maybe."

"I _knew_ it!" Alex exclaimed with a triumphant smile. She laughed, shaking her head at him. "You nasty boy."

"I'm just…enjoying my youth," Vince explained with a childish grin.

He thought she'd be grossed out or think less of him, but her eyes just sparkled as she threw her head back and laughed like Dom or Leon would've done if he'd been talking to them. "You're crazy. That doesn't bother you at all?"

"Should it?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I've never lived like that. I imagine it doesn't bother _you_ much. Do you think it bothers the unfortunate whores who have the privilege of sharing your bed?"

"Tiny, the only thing that bothers them is that I'm not Dom," he answered honestly. "They usually just get in and get out."

"Don't you mean _you_ get in and then _they _get out?" Alex asked with a wicked smile.

Vince couldn't help but laugh at the innuendo. He didn't think Alex was capable of a dirty joke; she looked too innocent for that. "You've got an amazingly dirty mind for such a small girl," he commented incredulously. "And here I thought you were all sweet and innocent."

"Ssh! It's a secret. I only pretend to be sweet and innocent so I can shock people later," she said giving him a wink.

He chuckled. "It works."

"So how many?"

"Excuse me?" he questioned with eyebrows raised.

Alex sat up straighter, a naughty glint in her eyes. "How many girls total? Come on, you must keep count or something."

He snorted and shook his head. "I don't count."

"Why not?"

"Because…"

"Because the numbers are too high?" she put in with a grin.

Vince couldn't help but let a guilty smile spread over his face. "So what about you?" he deflected. "How high is your number?"

Redness flooded into her cheeks. She looked down at her dinner and cleared her throat before holding up a single finger.

"_One_! Just _one_?" he exclaimed in surprise. "But you're _hot_!"

She smacked his arm and scowled at him. "Stop that! I've had a boyfriend since I was sixteen! Doesn't leave me much room for other sexual conquests."

"So then I guess _you_ are the douche bag's only one too?"

"He's two years older, so he had one or two before me," Alex answered with a shrug. "Plus, we made this list of ten celebrities that we were allowed to sleep with and Eddie…well, now that he _knows _them, he's made the most of that list."

"And have _you?_" Vince questioned, though he was pretty sure he already knew the answer to that one.

"No," she said with a quick shake of her head. "It's not like I haven't had the chance, I just can't…I can't do that to him. It doesn't feel right."

Vince raised an eyebrow. "But he can do it to you? You don't see anything wrong there?"

"I'm _not_ an idiot, but we made that deal before I knew anyone on that list would be accessible to either of us. I can't go back on my word."

"That's just wrong," he said with a scowl. "And he _tells_ you?"

"Well, he's not technically doing anything wrong," she answered with a nod. "Plus, we've always been honest with each other."

"About everything?"

"I didn't tell him yet, if that's what you're getting at," she said a knowing look on her face. She hadn't planned on telling Eddie she'd kissed Vince and she probably wouldn't. It wasn't _that_ big of a deal. It wasn't like anything more had happened.

"But you're going to."

She shrugged. "Of course," she lied.

He saw right through her. "Liar."

"I _will_," she stated, frowning at him. "I tell him everything."

"Bull shit," he said confidently. The look on her face told him he'd caught her lying again. He handed his cell phone to her. "Go ahead. Let's see it."

"No!" Alex said with a shake of her head. "I'm not going to do it with you _here_! Are you crazy?" Vince laughed and she hit his arm again. "I'm going to do it the right way. In person."

Vince still looked doubtful. "When will that be? In ten years?"

She shook her head. "No. He'll be here tomorrow, actually. Their big tour is coming to LA."

"That's tomorrow? Mia tried to get Letty to go, but when Let finally gave in, the tickets were sold out. She whined about it for weeks."

Alex grinned, she knew exactly what she would do. "I'll take her."

Vince almost choked on his food. "What? Why would you do that?"

"Maybe after meeting Eddie, she'll lay off all her snooping. She'll see what we have is solid like a…"

"If you say rock, I will punch you in the face," he grumbled giving her a glare.

She laughed and smacked his arm lightly. "You wouldn't dare."

"Don't try me," he said though his smile told her he didn't mean it. "You think this brilliant plan of yours will work?"

"Do you?"

He shrugged. "It has the potential to. Of course, it might just blow up in your face."

"Gee, that's reassuring," drawled Alex sarcastically. "I think she'd like it."

"I have no doubt that she'd like it," Vince agreed with a nod, "but she might think she's your new best friend and want to know even _more_ personal stuff."

Alex thought about it and wondered if that would be such a bad thing. Maybe Fisher was right, maybe she needed some girl friends in her life. "Maybe that's not such a bad thing. Maybe I need someone who doesn't know him well to talk to about him."

"I can do that," Vince said around a bite of food. "He's a cheating dick, dump him. Ta da."

She rolled her eyes. "And that's _exactly_ why I need a totally impartial, female friend."

"Well, she's not _totally_ impartial," he retorted with a snort. "She's rooting for the douche."

Alex didn't even comment on the name calling, she knew it would be pointless. "That doesn't matter. Eddie needs more people on his team, anyway. So far, all he's got are his fans and Mia."

"And you?"

"Even _I _can't always be on his side," she admitted, a dark blush coloring her cheeks.

The next day, Alex pulled up in front of the Toretto's store. She nervously pulled the two pieces of paper out of her pocket before striding up to the counter and slapping the tickets down on the counter in front of Mia.

Mia's brown eyes glanced at her curiously. "What's this?"

"It's a ticket to the Entourage concert tonight," Alex answered, sitting down on a stool in front of the counter. "Sort of like a peace offering."

Mia picked up the ticket and read the words inscribed in it. "But this show is sold out!"

"Eddie's my boyfriend, Mia," she explained with a sigh. "I've had these tickets on hold when the concert was still in concept mode."

"Why are you giving _me _one though? You don't even like me!"

Alex scowled at that accusation. "That's not true! I don't like to talk about my personal life, and I know that's what you love to hear, but I just don't like talking about it. Anyways, Vince mentioned you'd want to go and hardly anyone will go with me anymore, so I thought why not? It'll give you a look into my world…that way you'll stop being so nosy about it."

Mia didn't know whether to be offended or flattered. She knew Alex was a private person, but she was offering Mia an insight into her life; something Mia had been dying to get for awhile now. "Sounds good to me," she finally said with a bright smile.

"Great! I'll pick you up around five so that we can hang out backstage for awhile."

"_Backstage_! No. Way," Mia said her eyes wide with excitement. "You mean I'd get to _meet_ them!"

Alex smiled and nodded. "Of course. I met your family, now it's time for you to meet part of mine."

* * *

What do you think? Let me know in a review! I promise I'll have a new chapter up pretty soon! :D

~LoveInk


	29. Who I Am

Thanks so much for all your reviews! You guys are awesome!! Keep them coming, please!!! :)

This chapter is a long one! I hope you enjoy it and as always let me know what you think...

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Alex and the other characters that aren't from the movie…

* * *

**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 29: Who I Am_

**By: LoveInk**

Mia's eyes were as big as saucers as Alex led her backstage at the concert venue. There were so many things going on! Boxes filled with equipment were being wheeled around, the opening act was doing warm ups from her spot against the wall, guitars were being tuned, drums were being played, and through it all Alex looked unfazed. As they walked through the halls, people would shout greetings to her and she'd greet them like she'd known them all her life; throwing out the most random questions. "How do you remember all of these people?" Mia questioned incredulously.

"They're just like people at the races, Mi," Alex explained with a shrug of her shoulder. "You know all of their names, don't you?"

"Good point," Mia said with a laugh.

Alex was about to say something back when she was side swept by a beefy guy. He lifted her up off the ground by her torso and tossed her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. While she hung there, complaining loudly and cursing him, he flashed a dimpled smile at Mia. "Hi, I'm Ronnie Romero," he said his dark eyes gleaming with a childish light.

Mia had already known who he was. He was Eddie's younger brother and the "bad boy" of the group, or at least that's how he was marketed. She didn't see anything bad about him other than the fact he seemed to be torturing Alex. "Ron! Put me down you big gorilla!" Alex exclaimed, pounding fists against his muscled back.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name," he continued his conversation with Mia as though there wasn't a girl draped over his shoulder.

"I'm Mia," she said with a giggle.

Instead of shaking the hand she held out for him, Ronnie pulled her into a side hug. "Nice to meet you, Mia. You're a lot prettier than Alex described you!"

"Ronnie!" a voice shouted down the hall. Mia pried her eyes away from Ronnie's gorgeous face to find Eddie heading toward them looking pissed off. "Would you stop acting like a child and put her down? You're making a fool out of yourself."

Ronnie set Alex down with a roll of his eyes. "Party pooper," he murmured so only Mia could hear before wrapping Alex in a bear hug that could put Vince's to shame. "Look at my beautiful little sister!" he exclaimed placing a loud kiss on her cheek.

"Ugh! Get off of me you weirdo!" Alex exclaimed pushing him off as she turned to Eddie. "Hey you, long time no see."

Eddie gave her a trite smile and a quick peck on the lips that was about as romantic as the kiss on the cheek Ronnie had just given her. "Hey, Lex. I've been missing you, baby girl," Eddie said with a tired sigh. Ronnie snorted in disbelief leaving Mia with the feeling that Eddie hadn't even noticed Alex's absence. He glared at his little brother before his eyes landed on Mia. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Mia. Mi, this is Eddie," Alex introduced with a smile.

"I've heard a lot about you," Mia said shaking Eddie's hand. He wasn't nearly as friendly as she would've thought.

The cocky grin on Eddie's face stirred a feeling of disgust in Mia. She knew that cocky grin well, her brother had a similar one and it always made her want to smack him when he used it. "I can't say that I'm surprised. We do have the number one album in the country right now."

"Okay, Mr. Humble," Alex said with a roll of her eyes. "Let's not delve into that right now. Don't you have a show to do in a few minutes?"

Eddie nodded. "I do. Nice meeting you, Mia." With that, he turned on his heel and headed back to his dressing room. Alex watched him leave, wincing when a scantily clad dancer walked by and her boyfriend gave the girl a quick slap on the bottom.

"Eddie!" Ronnie called out before giving Alex an apologetic glance and muttering, "You stupid asshole!" He chased after his brother and Mia watched as he smacked the back of Eddie's head.

Mia glanced at Alex and watched as her clench her jaw in irritation. "You're not going to get mad? He just smacked that girl's butt!" she exclaimed incredulously.

"I think Ron is angry enough for the both of us," Alex explained, running a hand through her hair.

"_He's_ a good guy. Why don't you date _him_?" Mia questioned.

"I did," Alex answered with a small smile at Mia's shocked expression. "Back in middle school. He's way too much of a brother. It'd be like you dating Vince or something."

Mia knew exactly what she was talking about. Vince was a great guy and sometimes even a better brother to her than Dominic, but she would never _ever_ see him that way. "That makes sense. But middle school? How long have you known them for?"

"The Romero's house is right by ours. Ronnie's my age, Eddie's my sister, Lena's, age, and their brother and sister fall somewhere in between my other sisters. We grew up together. Eddie was Lena's best friend so he was always over and when I was around thirteen, I fell in love with Eddie."

"And, let me guess, he didn't notice you until you were sixteen?" Mia finished with a raised eyebrow.

Alex shook her head. "Earlier. Fifteen. He noticed me when I started dating Ronnie."

"That's just wrong!" Mia exclaimed with a scowl. "He _stole_ you from his own brother!"

"Oh no, of course not! Eddie would never do that to Ron! He waited until _after_ we were done to step in. He really _is_ a good guy at heart. He just does stupid things sometimes."

Mia shrugged. She didn't know Eddie well enough to comment so, for once, she kept her mouth shut. "Sure. Where's Fisher? Isn't he one of the dancers?"

"He's probably warming up with the rest of the dancers or changing the choreography up on them. He likes to keep them on their toes so the concert doesn't get too boring for the fans that go more than once," Alex explained with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Let's go to our seats, shall we?"

The seats were the best in the house. They were up with the sound people so there was no one blocking them and they had a clear view of the venue. The dance routines and light shows were impressive, but as cool as the show was, Mia couldn't enjoy it because she was disgusted with the band's lead singer. At least, she had been until he grabbed the mic and pointed up toward where they were seated. "Lexi, this one's for you, baby. It's a new one that I just wrote for my favorite person who happens to be here tonight."

As the guitar started playing and girls started screaming, Eddie sang the catchy love song. One line in particular made Mia re-think her first impression of Eddie: "_It's known that I'm a liar, often they're blacker than white. Add on my uncanny ego, no one's less humble than I. But you don't care; you keep sticking around, while I'm acting a clown. You're bigger than me._"

When the song was over, she turned to Alex with a big smile on her face expecting to see Alex just as happy as she was. She wasn't. In fact, she looked pissed off. "What's wrong? That song was so sweet! I totally misjudged him."

"Yeah, it was. It would've been sweeter if actually _had_ written it," Alex replied through her teeth. She didn't comment more on it and Mia knew that asking her then would be a mistake; she'd wait until later to interrogate her. When the concert ended, Alex dragged Mia backstage where they ran into Fisher.

"Mia! What a surprise!" Fisher exclaimed giving her a sweaty hug. "Did you enjoy the show?"

"It was awesome, Fisher!" Mia replied enthusiastically. "The routines were perfect!"

"Why thank you!" he said, turning to Alex with a big smile on his face as he waited for her praise.

"Good job, Fish," Alex said half-heartedly. Her eyes wandered down the hall to where Eddie was heading into his dressing room. "Hey Mia, would you mind if I went and talked to Eddie privately?"

Mia nodded. "Sure! Go right ahead!"

"Wow, she's pissed," Fisher commented with a sigh. He glanced at Mia. "How much would you love to hear their conversation?"

"I don't know. She likes her privacy."

"C'mon! Just blame it on me!" Fisher said, already dragging Mia to the door next to Eddie's. You can hear everything in Ed's room from Ronnie's vent!"

Ronnie was inside leaning against a table, a bottle of water in his hand. He raised an eyebrow as the two hurried over to the vent. "You've heard that conversation a million times, Fisher. I'm surprised you don't know it by heart. I know I do."

"You shush," Eddie hissed at him.

Mia let out a giggle but stopped as soon as she heard Eddie's voice. "Let me guess, you're mad _again_."

"I can't stand it anymore, Eddie," Alex said, her tone frustrated. "I don't deserve this."

"Well that's new," Ronnie said unhitching himself from the wall and heading towards the vent. "She hasn't stood up for herself in a _long _time."

"Deserve what? Getting a song dedicated to you? Is that so terrible?" Eddie questioned sarcastically.

Alex snorted and Mia could picture her shaking her head at him. "A: That's Ronnie's song and if I remember correctly they lyrics were a lot more profane and insulting to you than the ones you just sang and B: the dedication loses its sentiment when only minutes before you were smacking some dancer's ass."

"It's a good luck thing, we all do it," Eddie claimed.

Ronnie shook his head. "No it's not," he murmured. "I hope she doesn't buy that."

"Since when?" Alex asked, doubt in her voice.

"Since…since…" Eddie faltered. "Okay, so it's _my_ good luck thing."

"Since when?" she repeated.

He let out a long sigh. "Since you've been gone, Lexi! I need some action too, all right? I mean you've got that grease monkey here. Don't tell me you're not screwing him."

"I'm not," Alex answered honestly. Eddie paled ever so slightly, and she knew that was how he'd justified everything he'd done. "Are you telling me that you're screwing the dancers?"

"I have needs, Lexi."

A loud slap rang through the vent and Ronnie chuckled. "Atta girl. Smack him harder!"

Alex couldn't believe he'd said that. He had _needs_! That didn't justify anything! If she'd told him about Vince and explained it was because of her "needs", he would completely freak out! "I do too, Eddie. I _need_ someone who is going to respect me," Alex stated, trying to keep her tears at bay. "And if you can't be that person, then it's over."

"Lexi, I respect you," Eddie tried.

She let out a light laugh. "Smacking another girl's butt and then telling me you're screwing the dancers because you have _needs_! Yeah, that's real respectful."

"I'm not perfect, you know."

"I'm not asking you to be. I'm asking you to stop sleeping with other girls when you supposedly love only me!"

"But you're never around anymore! Maybe if you'd come back on tour with us!" Eddie was grasping at straws now. So he played the only card he had left. "Plus, you kissed that guy! Don't deny it either! I heard Ronnie and Fisher talking about it!"

She felt like someone had kicked her in the stomach. Was she being a hypocrite? _No_, she thought with a shake of her head, _no, that was different._ She hadn't sleep with him after all…well, she had but she hadn't had sex with him. "Are you going to compare _kissing_ someone to _fucking_ someone?"

"At least when I fuck someone, there's no feelings involved!" Eddie shouted back.

Alex shook her head. "What feelings? I've only had feelings for _you_ since I was thirteen!"

"Then why did you kiss him, Lexi?"

"Why do you cheat?" she shot back at him. Eddie's mouth started to form words but he just shrugged in response. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "What are we doing here, Eddie?"

He sighed and sat down heavily on the couch, letting his head fall into his hands. "I don't know, Lexi. What happened to us?"

Alex sat down next to him, resting her head against his shoulder. "We grew up. We're not the same people anymore."

"I know. I knew when you left the tour that it wouldn't work out, so I pushed you away," he explained leaning his head against hers. "I'm sorry."

"Me too," she murmured. "This is it, isn't it? Five years down the drain."

Eddie swallowed thickly and nodded. "I guess so."

"Wow," Alex breathed, a slow tear making its way down her face.

"Yeah," he agreed, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. "Can we still talk though?"

She let out a slow breath. "Sure. I mean, we'll still see each other at home and stuff."

"My fans are going to flip."

"Our _parents_ are going to flip."

Mia, Fisher, and Ronnie stepped back from the vent, each of them in shock as Alex and Eddie's conversation turned into one about their families with no mention about what had just occurred. "Did they just break up?" Mia asked on a breath.

Fisher nodded, stunned. "Uh-huh."

Ronnie whistled and shook his head. "Unbelievable. They slipped right back into being friends, after all that. I bet it hasn't even hit them yet."

"They're both going to be devastated when it does," Fisher said in agreement.

It was then that the doorknob turned before slowly opening. Alex stood behind it looking completely worn out. Ronnie wrapped her in a tight hug before kissing her forehead. She pulled away and smiled up at him. "You heard?"

Ronnie nodded to Fisher and Mia. "They were curious."

"Well, at least I don't have re-hash it," she said softly. "You ready to go, Mia?"

Mia gave her a sad nod before giving a quick goodbye hug to Ronnie. The big guy held her close and whispered into her ear, "Take care of her."

"Of course," Mia murmured back.

Mia and Alex walked in silence back to Alex's Jeep. She cautiously got into the passenger's seat and watched Alex jump into the driver's side. She sat there for a second staring at the wheel and then suddenly, a surge of anger made her slam her fist into the side of the wheel. "Shit," she muttered before pressing her forehead to the top of the wheel. "Shit," she repeated, a tear falling down her cheek.

"Aw, honey," Mia said placing a comforting hand on Alex's shoulder.

"Sorry," Alex said shaking her head while wiping away her tears.

Mia furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "For what?"

"That you had to hear that," she answered. Swiping at her tears, she let out a light laugh. "I swear, I'm not normally this much of a crybaby."

"Lex, I'd be worried if you weren't crying," Mia assured her, smiling softly as she rubbed the girl's shoulder. "C'mon, let's go rent some crappy movies and eat our feelings."

Alex laughed before sniffling. It sounded like such a girly thing to do. She wasn't used to _girly_, she had always been "one of the guys" for lack of a better option. Girls usually avoided her because she'd rather learn a new skateboard trick than learn how to braid hair. "Does that really help?"

Mia shrugged a shoulder. "It helps take your mind off things."

"Sounds like a good plan to me."

"Yes!" Mia agreed with a happy smile. "All right. We can get some cookie dough, chocolate frosting, and some of Dom's movies; they're all terrible. That should be perfect."

And that was exactly what they did. Letty joined them after her work, bringing along with her a bottle of tequila, a bag of ice, and some margarita mix. They played drinking games as they watched and wound up completely trashed. "Lex, girl, have you told Vince you're single yet?" Letty questioned from where she was lounging on Alex's couch.

"Nope!" Alex replied from her spot splayed out on the floor. "Should I?"

Mia sat up and nodded. "Oh my gosh, _yes_! Call him _now_!"

"Okay!" She giggled and grabbed her cell phone. She searched through it, her brows furrowed in concentration. "Found it!"

"Well, call it!" Letty ordered with a smirk. "What are you going to say?"

"I don't know," Alex slurred as she held the phone up to her ear. "But it's ringing!"

Vince groaned as his phone vibrated on his bedside table. He spared a glance at the clock, glaring at the red numbers that told him it was four in the morning. Picking it up, he raised his eyebrows. "Tiny?" he asked as he hit the answer button. "It's four in the morning. What's going on?" That's when he heard three different, drunken giggles. "Are you _drunk_?"

"No, of course not," Alex denied before bursting into giggles. "Okay, maybe a little."

"Is that Mia and Letty I hear with you?"

"Yeah! They're here!" she answered, her voice higher than usual. "Girls night!"

Letty 's husky voice chimed in. "Tell him!"

"Oh yeah! That's why I called," she exclaimed and he heard a thump in the background. "Guess what I did tonight?"

Vince let out a low chuckle. "Drank way too much alcohol?"

"Um yeah! That is true! Letty makes delicious margaritas, Vinny. You should try them!"

He cringed at the nickname and prayed it wouldn't stick when she was sober. "I bet she does. What's going on, Tiny? Why'd you call me?"

"Oh! Why did I call you? Hold on, talk to Mia for a sec," she said before tossing the phone to Mia.

Mia giggled drunkenly as she picked up the phone. "She'll be back. She just went to the bathroom to say hello to the toilet."

"I'm coming over," Vince said, already halfway out of his bed.

"See! That's why she should date _you_! Eddie would never have gotten out of bed to help her! You're great, Vince. You know that?"

"Sure, Mi. I'll see you in a bit."

Vince pounded on the door until Letty opened the door looking completely sober. "She's in the bathroom," she stated jerking her head back. "She's had a hard night."

"I bet she has," he commented, glaring at her as he walked past. "Why are you sober?"

Letty shrugged, walking with him to the bathroom. "Someone had to be. Mia's passed out in Fisher's bed. Lex is…well, here she is."

Alex was lying on the floor, her eyes closed in sleep. Her hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, strands of it falling in front of her face. He picked her up easily and walked her down the hall. He found her room easily enough, it had a simple lime green 'A' painted on the door. Setting her down on the bed, he turned to Letty. "What happened here?" he asked, brushing a hair out of her face.

"She broke up with Eddie tonight," Letty answered from where she was leaning against the door frame.

Vince looked up in shock. "Are you serious?"

"Oh yeah," Letty said with a nod. "Right after his concert. Apparently, it was a mutual thing and they're still friends but she seemed pretty broken up about it."

"You think she'll be okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, of course. She has you."

He smiled as he sat at the end of Alex's bed. "Do you think I have a chance?"

"Check out the picture next to her bed and then _you_ tell me," she answered, nodding toward the picture frame on the nightstand. Vince glanced back in the direction Letty had nodded to and found the photograph taken the time he'd helped her escape Mia's makeover. It was a black and white picture with the sun shining just right so it lit up just a part of his face, his eyes. "The nearest picture she has of Eddie is over there on her dresser. That's got to say something about how she feels for you. Now, I'm going to check on Mia."

"Yeah. See ya." He waited until Letty was out of sight before he leant over Alex, gently shaking her shoulder to wake her up. "Tiny. Wake up!"

Alex stirred slightly before her dark green eyes opened, blinking a bit before focusing on Vince's face. "Hey big guy," she murmured sleepily. "What are you doing here?"

"Making sure you three survive the night," he joked with a smirk. "Nice picture you got there."

"I _told_ you it'd be a good one," she said, groaning as she got out of bed. "Pajama time." With that, she pulled off her shirt revealing a lacy black bra with tiny lightning bolts all over it.

Vince's eyebrows shot up as he took in the smooth caramel skin that covered the soft curve of her back. He could not believe she was undressing in front of him. She caught his glance over her shoulder and a sexy smirk turned up the corner of her lips. It took all of his self control not to attack her, but then, to add insult to injury, she walked over to him and stood right in front of him before raking her fingers through his hair. He swallowed hard, his hands reaching up to grab her hips. "What are you doing?"

"I broke up with Eddie," she said, leaning forward to press her forehead to his. "I'm free."

"I know."

"I'm all yours now," she stated, her breath smelled of alcohol and sunscreen. She leant in and caught his lips in a kiss.

He dug his hands into her hair as he deepened the kiss, loving the way she tasted of tequila and something else, something sweeter. All he wanted to do was give into his urges and flip her onto the bed, but he pulled away. "Tiny, stop. This isn't right."

A brief look of hurt passed over her face before she nodded in understanding. "You're right," she agreed on a sigh. She moved to sit next to him, her cheeks red with embarrassment. "I'm sorry, big guy."

He let out a breath. Turning her down was one of the hardest things he'd done in his life, but he was no girl's rebound…well, none that he knew of at least. "Why don't you go get something more comfortable on" Vince suggested, gesturing toward the pajamas lying on the floor next to the bed. "In the bathroom, though…please."

"Good idea," she said, standing and skipping toward the bathroom. She changed into a pair of lime green sweat-pant board-shorts with dancer emblazoned across the butt and a black beater. Vince was lying back on the edge of the bed with his eyes closed trying to control the lust Alex's little strip tease had left him with. "Are you sleeping?" she questioned, poking his bicep right on the tattooed eagle's head.

He opened one eye and nodded. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I can go now."

"You can stay the night, you know," she offered. It was her subtle way of telling him she didn't want to be alone. "It's not like we haven't shared a bed before."

He got the hint. With a low chuckle, he shucked off his jeans and hoodie before lying on the bed beside her clad only in his boxers and a black wife beater. "Spill it, little one," he said looking over at her.

Her dark green eyes glittered as they looked back at him. "He was cheating with the dancers the whole time I was gone. There's no justification for that, V. No way I can convince myself that what he did was okay. So it's over."

"You hurting?"

Alex shrugged a shoulder and nodded. "Sure. I feel like the world's biggest idiot. I have been off the tour for _months_ and no one thought to clue me in on the fact he was cheating. He wasn't doing it discreetly either, I'm sure of it. It just hurts to think that I wasn't good enough…that he needed other people to "fulfill his needs" while I wasn't there."

"He's an ass," Vince commented, not knowing what else to say.

She shook her head. "No, we just grew up and apart. We both want and need different things now. I just wish it hadn't taken us five years to figure it out." With a sigh, a small tear fell down her cheek. "I'm just…lost. As ridiculous as it sounds, I don't know who I am without him, you know? Ever since I was sixteen, I was Eddie's girlfriend. Now…who am I?"

"I know who you are," he responded confidently.

His words made a stampede of butterflies invade her chest. She hadn't known him for that long which made it seem improbable that he was telling the truth, but he seemed so sure. "Who am I then?"

He sighed, folding his arms underneath his head. "I could give you this long and corny speech, but I'm not going to because it'll make you fall in love with me and we can't have that," he joked with a smirk on his face to let her know he wasn't being serious. "Honestly, I think deep down, you know exactly who you are. You just need to think about it. It'll probably help to be sober."

"Can I have a clue?" she pried, giggling at his previous comment.

Vince's blue eyes roamed around the dimly lit room. "Was lime green one of Eddie's favorite colors?"

"No, it's been mine since I was eight," she said, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Why?"

He gave her a shit-eating grin. "Who you are is someone who likes lime green, then," he answered, chuckling when she groaned in response before hitting him with a pillow.

She laid her head on his chest gently for a brief moment before a thought came into her head. "Hey! I'm single now."

"Yeah and…"

"You _said_ you only sing to single girls," Alex pointed out with a grin.

Vince chuckled, lightly brushing some hair out of her eyes. "You want me to sing to you?"

"Yeah," she said, nodding excitedly. "_Please_."

He started to hum a tune before his humming became soft singing. She wasn't surprised that he was a good singer. At that moment, she forgot about everything that had happened; Eddie wasn't even a blip on her radar. Everything was Vince, and she was okay with that. More than okay with that. She would have no problem lying like that with him forever. And as conceited as it sounded, she knew he wanted her. He hadn't exactly been secretive about it. But it was unclear _what_ he wanted from her. Another one night stand? A friendship with benefits? A relationship? She let out a soft sigh. Now was not the time to think about it. Cuddling closer to him, she let his soft, rough voice lull her to sleep.

* * *

The song Eddie sings is** "Bigger" by the Backstreet Boys**. I'm a big BSB fan. Have been since I was seven! :) This song is off their new (ish?) CD which isn't as good as their old ones but still fun to listen to. I definitely suggest checking it out! ;)

The song Vince sings to her...well, I'll leave that up to your imagination. Let me know what you think would be the perfect song for that part! I had one in mind while writing it but I think it's fun to leave it to the imagination... :)

Did you like the chapter as a whole?? Do you have a favorite part of the fic so far? (I'll try and add more of these) Least favorite part? (I'll do less of these)

Let me know!!

~Love Ink


	30. Liar

Gah! Sorry this has taken me so long! School has been crazy! Thanks so much for all your reviews and for sticking with me!

I'm currently in the middle of finals and reviews would be such a nice pick me up! (hint, hint) ;)

Let me know what you think of this chapter…

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Alex and Michaela…

* * *

**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 30: Liar_

**By: LoveInk**

A few days later…

Vince was sitting at the breakfast table glancing over the Entertainment section of the newspaper looking to see what concerts were in town. Dom was currently scanning the news, while Leon was going over the Sports section, and Jesse was snickering over the comics. In a few moments, they would all switch, grabbing the different sections out of each other's hands until they'd all read whatever they'd wanted to. Mia sat down with a cup of coffee and cleared her throat to see if she could catch Vince's attention. No such luck. "Hey, V," she sang, waiting for him to put down the paper and look at her.

He didn't. "Huh?" he muttered in answer.

"You should ask Alex out on a date," Mia suggested, smiling when his eyes finally left the black and white pages of the newspaper and looked at her.

"What?"

"News!" Dom said, holding up his section.

Leon grabbed it and handed him in the sports. "Sports."

"How are the Lakers doing?" Dom questioned as he rummaged through the sports looking for the answer to his own question.

"Who cares?" Leon answered with a smirk. "The Spurs are the only ones worth watching."

Vince scowled. "Please, it's all about the Knicks."

"Ex_cuse_ me! I was _talking_ to you!" Mia interrupted, kicking Vince in the shin. "Are you going to ask Alex out on a date or what? You're going to lose your chance!"

"The Knicks are playing the Lakers tonight," Letty read aloud from over Dom's shoulder. "You could take her to that. Hec can get you tickets. He always has extra seats at the stadium."

"She'd like that. She's a basketball fan. She bounces between teams, though," Leon commented offhandedly. The team all gave him suspicious glances. He raised his eyebrows, unaware that what he said was weird. "What?"

Mia narrowed her eyes at him. "How do _you_ know that?"

He sighed and ran a hand over his hair. Now he understood. They were suspicious of his relationship with Alex. "Look guys, in order to talk to my _girlfriend_, I have to go through Alex. Sometimes Mickey takes awhile to call so she and I talk. Basketball is something we both have in common. She knows her stuff."

Vince sighed and shrugged a shoulder. "I don't know Mia. She _just_ broke up with her boyfriend."

"Yeah, and who says Vince wants a girlfriend anyway?" Dom commented. "I don't think you'd like it, V. It's hard work some times."

"Excuse me! I'm right here!" Letty exclaimed, giving Dom's bald head a good slap.

Dom rolled his eyes. "You're easy, Let. That's why I love you, but Alex…she's used to having this guy who can give her everything. Tickets to the Lakers? Yeah, no problem. I bet she's had courtside seats every time. Can you really compete with that?"

"Wow," Mia said glaring at her brother. "You really just said that. You are insanely stupid and should not be part of this conversation."

"He's got a point though," Vince muttered, looking back at the newspaper.

"You are so _frustrating_!" Mia growled, smacking his head with a rolled up newspaper. "I'm never trying to help you again!"

He smirked. "Is that a promise?"

She rolled her eyes and let out a frustrated growl. "Don't you have work to do?"

...

Alex walked into the garage with her cell phone in her pocket. Michaela was going to call back in five minutes, so she'd driven down there to give the phone to Leon. She found him sitting in the front seat of a white car, messing with something that looked like a speedometer. "Hey Lee," she greeted, dropping into the passenger's seat. "Your lady is calling me back in five."

A big smile spread across his face as it always did when he was going to talk to Michaela. He leant over and gave her a brotherly peck on the cheek. "You're the best."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she said, rolling her eyes at him. "What are you doing?"

He looked from the part in his hand and back to her. "Do you really want me to explain, Al?" he asked, knowing she wasn't really all that interested. She shook her head, no and he laughed. "What the hell are you wearing any way?"

She looked down at her simple outfit: white hoodie vest over a black sports bra and baggy green cargo pants, nothing for him to make that face about. "Do you _want_ to talk to your girlfriend?" she sassed back, her tone playful. "Because I could just leave and change. By then, she'll probably be busy but at least I'll look cute."

Leon laughed, shaking his head at her. "I'm sorry," he said, though it was clear he wasn't. "I was just saying." He watched Alex's phone light up in her hands. "Can I talk to my girlfriend now?"

Alex let out a long, dramatic sigh. "I guess," she said handing over the phone. "Where's V? I'll go give him some company."

"Under the Supra," he said before answering the phone. At her blank stare he smiled. "It's the blue one in the corner over there."

"_Thank_ you!" she called walking in the direction Leon had pointed out.

Vince smiled when he heard the sound of flip-flops smacking against the cement of the floor. "Hey Tiny," he called out to her.

"Hey you!" she replied, sitting down an upturned crate next to the car. "How's everything going?"

"Fine," he answered. "You?"

As they talked in the garage, Leon was sitting outside in the back, his feet propped up on the simple plastic table. He loved hearing Michaela's voice as she rambled on about her day. He missed her like crazy. "When you coming home, baby?" he asked as she finished her story.

"One month. That's all that's left, Lee! How exciting is that?" Michaela answered, pure excitement in her voice. "Alex is going to fly down, see my last show, and then we'll drive back together that night that way I don't have to drive alone."

"You know, I could fly down instead," Leon suggested though he knew what her answer was going to be.

She sighed and he could picture her running her hands through the crazy mess that was her hair. "As much as I would _love_ that…you can't. Lee, I don't want you anywhere near Vegas at the moment. It's too risky and scary and I can't have that stress."

"Isn't it a little dangerous for two girls to be driving all the way alone and at night?"

Michaela scoffed and he knew she was rolling her eyes at him. He had a feeling Alex's reaction would be the same. "No. Please, Leon. I learned to drive from the best. We'll be perfectly fine. It's not like we're going to stop anywhere weird. Plus, I have a gun in my glove…"

"Woah, woah, woah, a _gun_! Michaela, since when have you had a gun in there?" he exclaimed.

"Umm," she dragged on and he had a feeling she was trying to think of an answer that wouldn't upset him. "Well, you know, I was living by myself for awhile and my brother thought it'd be a good idea for me to have…"

Leon's jaw dropped. She'd had been packing heat the whole time he'd known her. "And you didn't tell me because…"

"I wasn't supposed to tell anyone," she defended, her words coming out fast. "I mean, it's not exactly legal. I mean, it's registered and stuff, but I don't know if I'm supposed to have it with me. It's not a big deal, Lee. I know how to use it. Vince wouldn't have given it to me if he wasn't sure I knew how and when to use it."

"Remind me never to piss _you _off," he said on a chuckle.

Michaela giggled. "So what's up with my brother and Lex? They together yet?"

Leon stood and poked his head inside the garage. He could hear Vince's gruff laugh as Alex blushed a bright red. "No, not yet," he answered her. "They're dancing around each other. It's kind of sad. You'd think your brother would be better at this considering all the girls he's been with."

"Yeah, but he's never really _dated_ one," she stated. "Not since Monica LeBlanc in high school. She broke his heart when she dumped him for Dominic. Don't mention that, though. Ever. They always get into this big fight and at first it's funny, but then when you're pulling them off each other, you realize how deep that hurt goes. My brother and Dom have always competed over girls and Vince rarely wins. I think that's why V gave up. Anyways, they just need a little push."

"You don't think Mia's been pushing?" he questioned on a laugh.

"She doesn't push well. Make sure Alex goes to the races tonight. Don't take no for an answer!"

Leon sighed, leave it to Michaela to get him involved. "I don't want to mess."

"_Please_ my brother needs a stable girl in his life!"

He glanced back at the two. Alex hadn't stopped smiling the whole time she'd been there and he _had_ noticed Vince had been in an unusually good mood since she started hanging around more. "I don't know."

"Come on, Lee! I'll make it worth your while when I get home," she teased, her voice taking on the seductive tone that always drove him crazy. "Or I can paint a picture for you now. Guess what I'm wearing."

All thoughts of Alex and Vince left his head and his heartbeat kicked up a notch. "Cut it out, Michaela," he said, swallowing hard.

"I'll give you a hint, it's not much," she continued. "I could go into detail, but I need to know if you'll do what I asked."

Leon walked into Jesse's empty office and shut the door behind him. He chuckled as he settled down into Jesse's plush leather chair. "You're killing me, babe," he groaned. "I'll do my best. Now tell me _exactly_ what you're wearing."

"He's running up your phone bill, you know," Vince pointed out from his place underneath the car.

Alex shrugged. "Doesn't matter. Eddie's management pays for it. At least, they do until the end of this year. I'm technically still employed with them and that's my work phone."

"Nice. Can you hand me the spanner?" Vince requested, holding a dirty out to her from under the car. Alex grabbed the closest wrench she found and handed it to him. He pulled his hand back in, looked at it, and held it back out to her. "It's the one with little thing that turns like a corkscrew."

"Oops!" She grabbed the right one and handed it to him before sitting back down on the plastic crate. "You know, I saw him the other day."

"Who?" Vince said on a grunt.

Alex cleared her throat nervously. She knew Vince wouldn't be happy about what she was about to say. "Eddie. We went to lunch."

He paused for a beat, anger and frustration bubbling up inside his stomach. "And?"

"It was weird," she answered honestly.

"What'd he want?"

She ran a hand through her hair. "I don't know exactly. It was hard to sort out through all his bull shit. I've come to the conclusion he wants to be together but be able to have sex with anyone he wants. An "open" relationship, he called it."

"Good luck with that," Vince muttered, disappointed.

"Oh, I didn't agree to it," Alex said on a scoff. "I told him no. I'm sick of being treated like his doormat. I don't deserve that. Plus, I'm ready to have some fun without worrying if it'll appear in the papers the next day."

He chuckled from underneath the car. "I'm sure he loved that."

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Yeah. He tried wording it differently and when I kept saying no, he tried to kiss me. As if that would make it all better!"

"He's a smooth one," he commented and she could hear the smirk in his voice. "So now what are you going to do?"

"I don't know," she answered with a shrug. "Have fun, I guess."

He laughed at her nonchalant tone. "Which means?" he questioned, grunting as he slid out from underneath the car.

Alex's breath caught in her throat. He was shirtless. His tan skin was glistening with sweat, his arms marked with grease. Damn, he looked sexy. She looked down at her hands and shrugged again. "Beats me. What do _you_ do to have fun?"

"You don't want to know," he answered, pushing himself off the ground and heading towards the tool box she was sitting next to.

Alex rolled her eyes. "You're disgusting. Is screwing random girls the _only_ thing you do for fun, or is there something I can take part in too?"

"Who said you couldn't take part in that?" he shot back, a wolfish smile spreading across his face.

Her stomach did a flip flop and she could not fight the blush the flooded her cheeks. Just thinking about being with him like that set her blood on fire. She swallowed hard and scowled at him. "Don't be gross," she managed to say, but the look on her face told him the idea was anything but gross to her.

"What about going to the races tonight then? _That_ you can take part in."

"Ummm," she drew out the word as she thought. "I don't know. I don't really fit in there."

"Where?" Leon asked, holding the cell phone out to Alex.

"The races," Vince answered simply.

Leon snorted and shook his head. "Doesn't take much to fit in. Just don't wear something skanky and you'll be fine."

She scoffed at him. "I don't _have _clothes like that."

Vince raised his eyebrows and looked over what she was currently wearing. She was just wearing a small black sports bra with a hoodie white vest over it, leaving her stomach bare. Yeah, sure she didn't have revealing clothes. "What about what you're wearing?"

"This? This is a dance outfit. I would never go out in it."

"Well, you still have my shirt, don't you? Just wear that again." He liked the idea of it. If she was wearing his shirt, no one would touch her.

"Or you could borrow something from Mia," Leon suggested.

Vince fought the urge to smack Leon. Alex ran a hand through her hair. "I don't know," she said on a sigh.

"Just do it, Lex," Leon said on a scoff. "What else are you going to do?"

She bit her lip indecisively. He was right; she really didn't have anything else to do. "All right, I'll go."

"Good," Vince commented with a satisfied smile.

Alex regretted her decision as she watched Mia run around her room like a crazy person. She was lying on her bed with Letty, both girls bored out of their minds as Mia tossed different tops onto the bed next to the girls. "Nothing! You have no sexy clothes! What the hell, Alex? Don't you ever go clubbing?" Mia questioned, her tone frustrated.

"Yeah, but I'd just wear a tank and some jeans," Alex explained for what felt like the fiftieth time. "I have nice jewelry."

Letty snorted. "That'll only get you so far unless you want to wear _just_ a necklace."

"Wait a second!" Mia said from inside the closet. "What are _these_?" she questioned holding up what looked like a ripped tank and sparkly lycra leggings.

Alex groaned; Mia had just found precisely what she'd been trying to hide. "Those are costumes from the tour."

"Those are _hot_," Letty said, looking over Mia's shoulder as she rifled through the chest of clothes.

"You're wearing these," Mia ordered tossing some clothes into Alex's face. "And you're going to look good when I'm done with you."

Vince and the rest of the boys waited patiently in the living room, all four of them listening for the sound of Letty's car to signify that the girls had come back. "What do they do that takes them so long?" Jesse wondered aloud as he raced Leon on the Playstation.

"Their hair, I guess," Dom answered with a shrug.

Leon shook his head. "Nah, dawg. They spend half the time talking, I swear. They could get ready in like ten minutes but they have to discuss every little item their wearing."

"How would you know?" Vince asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Your sister, when she gets ready _by herself_, takes all of five minutes, right Jess?" he answered honestly.

Jesse bobbed his head up and down in agreement. "Yeah. Here she took like an hour. Maybe it's Mia's fault!"

The boys all got a good laugh out of that one. They all quieted when they heard the loud bass of Letty's speakers. "_Finally_," Dom said on a breath, running a hand over his bald head. He opened the door before Mia could and found all three girls dressed and ready…or at least, that's what he thought.

"Shoes!" Mia shouted, shoving past him and sprinting up the stairs.

Letty shuffled in after her with Alex dragging behind. Vince let out a low whistle when he saw Alex. She was wearing tight, torn jeans tucked into thigh high black boots. Her stomach was left half bare by an AC/DC top that was ripped diagonally across her stomach so that it came to a point at her hip. He got up and walked over to her before slinging an arm across her shoulders. "And you thought you wouldn't fit in," he commented with a shake of his head.

"She looks good, right?" Mia asked, pulling on her sandal before getting off the last step. At the nod of approval from Vince, she gave Alex a grin. "See? I told you so!"

Alex tugged at the ends of the high ponytail Mia had pulled her hair back in. "Yeah, yeah. I just feel…naked."

"Are we ready to go?" Dom interrupted, his arms crossed over his chest. "We're going to be late."

"Late to what? They don't start the races til we get there anyway," Mia commented with a roll of her eyes.

Dom glowered at her. "C'mon smart ass. Let's go."

Vince pulled Alex closer to his side. "You can ride with me," he offered, already leading her to the door. He knew exactly what people would think when they saw her getting out of his car and was banking on the fact that it would keep guys away.

"Sounds good to me," she answered, giving him a smile as he opened the car door for her. As Vince pulled out of the driveway, she turned in the passenger's seat to watch him drive. "Hey V?"

"What's up, Tiny?"

"Do I really look like a slut?"

Vince snorted. He knew something was bothering her. "No," he said shaking his head at her. "Do you want to look like a slut?"

"No, of course not! Who wants to look like a slut...other than the girls that you sleep with?" she teased. "So what's it going to be tonight? A blonde? A redhead?"

"Maybe both," he said with an arrogant shrug. "We'll see how the night pans out."

Alex rolled her eyes. "You're a slut."

"At least I don't dress like one," he said nodding at her outfit. He let out a laugh as she punched his arm. In all honesty, he didn't think she looked like one; he thought she looked hot as hell.

"But you just said…" she trailed off shaking her head at him. "Jerk. I hate you."

Vince snorted. "Liar."

* * *

So? What do you think? Let me know! :)

Thanks again for reading! (and for reviewing if you choose to...)

3 Love Ink


	31. Playing with Fire

Gah! Sorry it has taken me _way_ too long to update!

Thanks so much for your reviews! Keep them coming, I love hearing from you! :)

Mickey's coming back soon, I swear...but first a little fun with Alex and V. Do you like her character? Do you like them together? Feedback is welcome! :D

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Alex

* * *

**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 31: Playing with Fire_

**By: LoveInk**

Leon was sitting in the Skyline messing with the scanners when his passenger's side door opened. He was surprised to see Alex slip into the seat beside him. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Just seeing what you were up to," she answered with a shrug. "Vince is busy with some redhead, so I thought I'd bug you."

"He's with another girl?" he questioned, eyebrows raised in surprise.

Alex nodded miserably. "Yeah and every time I try to talk to Mia, she just pushes me right back to him, and Letty's preoccupied with Dom and his skanks, Dom scares the crap out of me, and I love Jesse to death, but all he talks about at the races is cars and I can't understand half the things he says."

Leon chuckled. "Well, I'm glad I'm your last resort."

"I didn't want to bother you since, apparently, you have an important job."

"It's nothing too crazy," he said with a shrug. "I just listen to the radio to see if the cops are coming."

"Cool," she said bobbing her head up and down.

Leon watched her fiddle with the strings on one of the holes of her jeans before nervously chewing on her thumbnail. "It's driving you crazy, isn't it?" he said, smirking when Alex scowled at him.

"I don't mind," she lied knowing exactly what he was talking about. "I'm not looking for anything serious. I just want to have fun. That's why I came to have fun."

He fought back a laugh; she didn't look like she was having fun. She looked frustrated and annoyed. "Are you having fun?" he asked.

"Yes. _So _much fun," she answered back sarcastically.

This time he did laugh. "I can tell." She stuck her tongue out at him. "You know, if he knew you were an option, he'd choose you."

Her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm just saying that if all you want is fun, Vince will be more than happy to give that to you," he explained bluntly. "But you have to let him know you're interested first. He's not going to put himself out there; that takes too much effort. He's used to being lazy with girls, they usually come to him. So if you want him, _you_ have to make the first move."

Alex looked like she was mulling over the idea when the announcement that there was reported street racing came over Leon's scanner. He sighed and grabbed his walkie. "We got cops on the way, Hec! Let's go!" Leon shouted into the small piece of plastic before turning to Alex. "You sticking with me?"

She nodded, strapping herself into the seat. "I can't run in these heels. I won't be able to get anywhere else in time. Just don't kill me."

Alex held on tightly to the door handle as Leon drove like a crazy person back to the fort, all the while laughing at the panicked look on her face. "Calm down, girl. I've never crashed before," he teased with a chuckle.

"I highly doubt that," she said, her eyes tightly closed. The scenery was moving by way too fast for her liking. The car stopped moving and she opened one eye just a crack before letting out a long sigh; they were parked in front of the fort. "Land!" she exclaimed, getting out of the car exaggeratedly before jumping up and down in happiness. "We survived!"

Leon laughed, shaking his head at her before he wrapped an arm around her neck, pulling her into a headlock. "Are you insulting my driving?" he asked while she struggled against his hold.

"Yes! That's _exactly _what I'm doing! Let go, crazy!"

He let her go, ruffling her hair as he did so. "I'm a great driver."

"Sure," she drew the word out sarcastically as they walked toward the front door. The music was already bumping and the sound of laughter floated toward the front. Alex lingered on the front steps, her eyes falling on the blue Maxima. "You think he even noticed?"

Leon sighed and rolled his eyes. "Of course he did. He won't act like it, but I'm sure he did. Just make a move Alex. He'll think it's hot."

"Easier said than done," she muttered under her breath as she followed Leon into the crowded house.

They entered the kitchen where she found Vince with his arm around the same redhead from before. "Glad you made it back," he said, nodding at her.

She gave him a trite smile. "Yeah, thanks," she said weakly.

Letty looked between them and held back a sigh. Vince was screwing himself over with this one. She could see him pushing Alex away. Shaking her head at him, she grabbed two shot glasses and poured shot of tequila. "Lex?" she asked, pushing the glass toward her. Alex glanced wearily at the shot. "Oh, c'mon girly. Live a little," Letty coaxed. "Have some fun!"

"Right. Fun," Alex repeated remembering what she told Leon. She grabbed the shot glass and clinked it against Letty's before taking it quickly.

"Another!" Letty announced, already pouring more of the amber liquid into the tiny glass.

Somewhere between the second and third shot, Alex had lost track of Vince. He'd disappeared with the redhead and her happy high from the alcohol took a dip down. Letty seemed to know what she was thinking because she threw a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Relax, Lex! He's just dancing! Look!" she exclaimed, pointing the neck of her Corona towards the grinding crowd.

Sure enough, there he was, dancing awkwardly with the same girl who couldn't find the beat. Alex watched them dance from where she was leaning against the kitchen entry way, hating the jealousy she felt invading her body. How could he do that? Hadn't he invited her there? Her eyes searched over the crowd for a guy she could use to get back at him. She found one, but as she walked over, she chickened out. She couldn't do it; it wasn't her style to play games like that. Sucking in a deep breath, she headed outside to get some air and gather her thoughts. That's when it hit her: he didn't owe her anything. They weren't dating, they were just friends. She shouldn't be pouting over this; she should be showing him exactly what she wanted just like Leon had said.

With her newly discovered confidence, she strode back into the house. The living room was jam- packed with people dancing, but she spotted Vince right away. He was still grinding on the same chesty redhead from before. His eyes found hers, a look in them that dared her to say anything about the girl in front of him.

She slowly walked toward him, her eyes never leaving his. Stopping just a few feet away, she crooked a finger at him gesturing for him to come to her. He raised an eyebrow, intrigued, and pushed the redhead away. When he finally made it in front of her, he cocked his head to the side in question. "Did you need something?"

"Yeah. This," Alex answered before grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him towards her, catching his lips in a quick kiss before pushing him away. "That's it. You can go back to dancing with Ginger over there." With that, she walked away, freaking out inside. She couldn't believe she'd pulled that off so smoothly! It had to be the alcohol because she had never been that slick!

Vince watched her walk away, stunned. That one simple kiss lit a fire in his body and he knew the redhead that was currently throwing a hissy fit would not be able to quench the desperate need he had for the girl who started the blaze. He excused himself from the redhead and chased after Alex. She'd just made it out the front door when he grabbed her wrist, turning her around quite forcefully before pressing his lips to hers as he pushed her against the wall.

How they got from the fort to his bed, Alex didn't know, but the next morning she woke up there with his arms wrapped around her from behind. The room was dark; only a little sliver of light seeped in through his closed blinds. The events from the night before came flooding back to her and she blushed; she still couldn't believe she'd been so bold. She mentally smacked herself; she was _not_ supposed to rebound with Vince. She was supposed to save him for when she was ready for a relationship. Or did he even want a relationship? He didn't seem like the relationship type of guy and she might've been deluding herself into thinking of that possibility. Maybe now that she slept with him, he'd want nothing to do with her. After all, he'd gotten what he wanted, hadn't he?

Her stomach felt sick at the thought. It would make sense; if it hadn't been her, he'd have surely taken the redhead home. He was used to girls throwing themselves at him, and she had been no different. _This is what happens when you listen to Leon_, she thought with a frown. With a sad sigh, she started to scoot away from Vince, trying to leave before he woke up to save herself from dying of embarrassment. As soon as she moved, however, his arm tightened around her, pulling her back to him. "Where you going?" he mumbled against her shoulder.

"I'm getting out," she answered. "You got in and I'm getting out. Just like all the other girls, remember?" She tried to leave again, but he held her tighter to him.

"Would you shut up and stop trying to leave?" he demanded grumpily.

She gave up trying to leave with a laugh and turned so that she was facing him. "Fine. I'll stay."

Vince reached out a hand to brush a stray hair from her face. "Good." He leant in a placed a hot kiss on her lips. "Because I'm not done with you yet."

Mia eyed the two suspiciously as they trailed in through her front door. Alex was wearing the same jeans she'd worn the night before with one of Vince's old t-shirts; red marks apparent on her neck and shoulders. When confronted about the marks privately, Alex had shrugged and told Mia, "We're just having fun."

"Be careful, Alex," Mia warned giving the girl a knowing glance. She had a feeling that for Alex it would be "just fun" until Vince brought home another girl. That's when the realization that there were more feelings involved would hit her and it wouldn't be pretty.

Whether Alex had heard her or not, Mia wasn't sure, because every weekend after that the same pattern followed: they'd go to the races, end up at the party, and then Alex would be at breakfast the next morning with the same marks all over her body. On multiple occasions, Vince sported some as well. And they way they treated each other...Mia just didn't get it. They flirted non-stop; giving each other bed eyes over the dinner table, playing footsie, and the fact that he was always finding some reason to touch her, to throw an arm around her shoulders, plant an innocent kiss on her temple, it drove Mia crazy! Why wouldn't they just admit they liked each other as more than friends?

"Doesn't it _bother_ you, Alex?" Mia asked one day when Alex had gone to the store for some lunch. "I mean, he can go out with other girls. He can _sleep_ with other girls and you can't get mad at him."

"It doesn't bother me, Mia," Alex assured her with a shrug, though she knew she was lying. It didn't bother her because he had never been given the chance to bring another girl home. She hadn't missed a single race. "I'm just as free to date other people as he is. In fact, a brother of one of my students asked me out on a date yesterday."

Mia was intrigued, this was a new twist. "_And_?"

"Well, I told him I'd get back to him 'cause…"

"Because you _know_ Vince will have a shit attack," Mia put in for her with a scoff. "Is this what you want, Lex? He's not going to commit to you if he doesn't have to, but he'll expect you to be committed to him and that's not fair!"

Alex rolled her eyes; Mia always had to make everything so dramatic. "No, I told him I'd get back to him because I'm not sure how professional it is to date a student's family member, Mia," she explained. "Do _you _think it's appropriate?"

"Does it matter?" Mia shot back with a shrug. "Just be careful because you're playing with fire here and someone is going to get burned."

Mia's warnings stayed with Alex the whole night. She was thinking them at the races as she watched Vince flirt with other girls, all the while glancing at her as though he was making sure she was watching. It made her feel sick. She didn't want anyone else's hands on him. No girl should be allowed to touch him the way she did. Though the urge to interrupt him was strong, she didn't. She went off to bug Leon again mostly just so that she wouldn't have to watch him.

The end of the night finished in the same way all the other nights had and the next morning, she found herself cuddled up next to him. As usual, they lay there lazily and talked about anything and everything. Vince griped about the team and the garage while Alex told him stories about being on tour. They were slowly getting to know each other. That particular morning, Michaela was the topic.

Vince stretched his hands up and put them underneath his head. "So you're going to Vegas in a couple days to get my sister, right?"

Alex nodded. "Yep! I'll fly over there and then we're both going to drive back down together that night."

"I still don't like that idea," he said with a shake of his head. "You can't wait until the next morning? What's the big difference?"

"Michaela wants to get home as soon as possible to be with her..." Alex explained with a shrug.

"Family," he interrupted.

She giggled. "Well, I was gonna say boyfriend."

"Don't remind me." Vince groaned and shook his head again. "You think they'll break up soon?"

"No!" she said, smacking his arm. "Don't jinx it, V! He makes her happy!"

"She can be perfectly happy as a single spinster with a bunch of cats," he stated, smiling himself as Alex's laugh filled his bedroom. "You're laugh is obnoxious," he teased.

"_You're _obnoxious," she shot back, grabbing her pillow and hitting him in the face with it.

He grabbed her wrists and gently pulled her towards him until she was on top of him. He lifted his head to catch her lips in a sweet kiss before laying it back down on the pillow. She set her chin on his chest, smiling as he gently played with her hair. Once again, Mia's words danced through her head. "What are we doing, V?" she questioned, her voice soft.

"Lying in bed, talking," he said, his face confused.

She rolled her eyes, simultaneously rolling off of him. Lying on her side, she propped her head up with one hand and looked him over. "No, I mean, what are we?"

He groaned. "You've been talking to Mia, haven't you?"

Alex grinned and nodded. "She's been bugging you too?"

"_Yes_," he answered, nodding his head emphatically. "I think I've explained the concept of friends with benefits to her like fifty times!"

Alex laughed a little awkwardly. "Right? She just doesn't get it!" she agreed with a half hearted smile. "That's why I told her you wouldn't mind if I went on a date."

"What?" he asked. He wasn't sure he'd heard her right. Did she want to go out with another guy? Didn't she know she was his?

"Yeah, some guy asked me out. I told him I'd get back to him because I wanted to make sure we were on the same page, but since we're just friends…it should be okay. Right?"

It took Vince awhile to answer. There was no way he could get out of this one. It wasn't okay with him, not in the least. Why would she _want_ to go out with someone else? Wasn't she happy with him? But then again, she wasn't stopping him from dating or sleeping with other girls. Not that he had, but he knew if he wanted to, he could. He sort of liked that kind of freedom. It was a catch-22, if he agreed with her, he'd have to share her, but if he said no, he'd be tied down to one girl, something he wasn't sure he could handle. "Right, yeah," he answered in agreement.

* * *

So...what'd you think? Let me know! Feedback (good or bad) is very much appreciated! Let me know how I can improve this story or if you like it just the way it is.

**Thanks for reading! **I'll update soon! :)

~LoveInk


	32. Sabotage?

THANK YOU readers for taking time to review my story! All your encouraging words and comments make me want to write more! (Even though I'm suuuper lazy and never update! Sorry!) But to show my gratitude and to make up for my laziness, I'm posting TWO chapters in ONE day! YAY! :D

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Alex and the other characters that aren't from the movie…

P.S. Michaela's coming up in the next chapter! YAY! :D because yes, this story is about her...I just kind of got a little carried away...oops! ;)

* * *

**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 32: Sabotage?_

**By: LoveInk**

Two days later, and the guy, Carter, asked her out again. Alex felt torn. Sure, he was good looking and nice, but he wasn't what she wanted. There was only one guy she wanted and they were apparently just friends with benefits…_amazing_ benefits, she corrected herself with a smile. "So?" Carter prodded.

Alex shook herself from her thoughts and shrugged. "Sure. But I have to be home early. I'm catching a flight to Vegas tomorrow morning." She wasn't. She was actually going to drive down, but he didn't need to know that; the lie gave her a reason to be home early and was a subtle hint that he shouldn't expect anything from her.

"Vegas, nice," he commented with a wide smile. "So I guess I'll pick you up around five then? Bring your skateboard so we can skate a bit then get some food."

She bobbed her head up and down. "Sounds good to me," she answered, trying to hide her excitement; she hadn't been skateboarding in a long time. Fisher hated it and she didn't know of anyone else who liked it. "I'll see you then."

"Are you two gonsta sleep togevver?" his obnoxious four year old sister asked, scrunching up her nose a little.

"Oh! Woah! Someone's been watching too many movies with her sister!" Carter exclaimed, covering the little girl's mouth. "I'll catch you later, Lex."

Alex giggled and nodded, waving goodbye to the little girl as her brother escorted her out, muttering curse words under his breath. Once they were gone, she pulled out her phone from her pocket and called Mia. She hadn't been on a date in a long time and figured Mia would know give good advice as to what she should wear.

Mia looked at her phone and saw Alex's number. She answered it on the second ring. "Hey, Lex! What's going on?"

"Nothing much. I kind of have a…date tonight. And since I haven't been on a date with anyone in awhile…I may need some help with…" she grimaced, knowing she was going to live to regret this, "what to wear."

Vince watched Mia sprint up the stairs heading towards her room. "What lit a fire under your ass, Mi?" he asked when she came back down, a big bag slung over her arm with the heel of a shoe sticking out of it.

"Alex needs wardrobe help for her date!" she sang back in response. She threw the date in his face hoping for some kind of reaction. She got it. A brief look of jealousy flitted across Vince's face as he clenched his jaw tightly, no doubt holding back a slew of curses.

Leon raised his eyebrows and glanced at Vince who had visibly tensed. "A date?" he repeated, a little surprised. He thought Alex and Vince were together and from the murderous look in Vince's eyes, he obviously was thinking something along those lines too. "With who?"

"Some skater guy named Carter," Mia informed him, nonchalantly. "Which works well because Alex loves all things that have to do with boards, right V?"

Vince nodded but didn't say anything. It was true. He'd heard Alex talk numerous times about skateboarding and snowboarding, once she even mentioned she wanted to try wakeboarding. "Where are they going?"

"Venice Beach," Mia answered, digging through her bag for her keys. "Alex said they'll probably skate around and grab some dinner."

"Wow, fancy guy," Vince commented sarcastically. "Maybe I'll come with you, Mi. You know, intimidate the fucker a little."

Mia rolled her eyes as she went to the door. "Do whatever you want, but I'm leaving now so unless you're ready to leave at this exact moment, you're staying. Leon, do you want to come too? I'm sure the two of you together would have him running for the hills," she said sarcastically.

Leon snorted, shaking his head emphatically from side to side. "Nah, I don't mess with other people's relationships."

"Who's messing?" Vince asked with a smirk.

Mia grabbed his wrist and pulled him to the door. "C'_mon_ I'm going to be late!" They hopped into Vince's car. As they were driving, Mia cast him a sidelong glance. "You're a little ridiculous, you know that?"

He shook his head. "What? How am I ridiculous? What'd I do?"

"You are coming over to scare the hell out of this poor guy because you want Alex but you don't want to admit it because it would mean you'd have to stop flirting with all those dumb girls that you don't even want at the races."

He'd been ready for Mia to make the assumption so he was prepared with an answer, "Not true. I just want to see who this punk is. I don't want her to get hurt again. She deserves someone better."

"And you think you're a good judge of that?"

"Well…_yeah_."

She snorted. "You're full of shit."

Mia skipped up to the door and rang the doorbell while Vince hung back a little; he didn't want to seem too eager. Alex opened the door wearing her turquoise bikini top and short cut off jeans. Her hair was wet and tied back into a sloppy bun, sand still clung to her feet and calves; she'd obviously just been out on the beach. Her green eyes were sparkling with excitement, the smudged eyeliner underneath them making them stand out even more. "What are you doing here?" she asked, an eyebrow raised at Vince as he passed her to follow Mia inside.

"Just thought I'd come here to give you some support," he answered with a shrug.

Alex narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, but before she could say anything, Mia interrupted. "Let's go! We don't have all day!" she said impatiently.

"Mi, you go pick out an outfit while I make a sandwich," she said, pushing Mia towards her bedroom.

Mia looked at her, confused. "Aren't you going to dinner?"

"That's in two hours, I'm hungry now," Alex answered simply already making her way to the kitchen leaving Mia and Vince in the living room.

"_Se lei non e tuo anima gemella, non sapere che e_," Mia said shaking her head at Vince. (If she isn't your soul mate, I don't know who is.)

Vince smirked, her accent was terrible. "Ooh, Italian. Was that hard?" he teased, knowing Mia hated speaking Italian.

"I hate you," she muttered as she disappeared down the hall.

He let out a chuckle before heading to the kitchen where he found Alex busy making a PB & J sandwich. She had one finger in her mouth, the peanut butter jar in the other hand. He approached her from behind, wrapping his arms around her torso. He nuzzled his face into her neck, loving the way she smelled of sunscreen and the ocean. Her body tensed briefly, but she didn't push him away like he thought she might. Instead, she just went on making her sandwich like it was the most normal thing in the world. "Can I have some peanut butter?" he asked, setting his chin on her shoulder.

Vince knew she was rolling her eyes at him, but she dipped her finger into the jar just the same and held it out a glob of peanut butter to him. "Hurry! It's going to fall!" she said, eyeing the glob as it teetered on the tip of her finger.

He let it fall right onto her shoulder and with a small smile bent his head to lick it off. He could feel the shivers go up her spine as he tasted her salty skin. A soft moan escaped her lips as his teeth skimmed gently over the area before he pulled away leaving her wanting so much more.

Vince smiled proudly at the dazed look on Alex's face when she turned around to face him. He leant down and pressed a hot kiss to her lips. "Mia's calling you," he whispered against them.

She was about to kiss him back and tell him she didn't care when the realization hit her. _This is all fun and games to him_, she thought sullenly, _he's never going to commit to me. _Shaking her head at him, she pulled away. "Right," she said, trying to shake off the fog that had invaded her brain. "Right because I have a date. So yeah, I should go get ready for that." She walked away from him as quickly as possible, her lips still tingling from his kiss, and headed towards where Mia was yelling her name.

"What the hell?" Mia exclaimed as soon as she saw Alex and the bright mark on her neck. "Vincent Cash Catella, what the hell were you _thinking_?" she yelled.

Alex winced at the volume of her shrill voice. "What? What's wrong?"

"_You_ have a _huge_ hickey on your neck!" Mia exclaimed, shoving Alex toward the mirror. "I leave you two alone for _two_ minutes and he marks his territory." She shook her head in disapproval. "You're lucky he didn't _pee_ on you like the dog that he is!"

"Well, what do I do now?" Alex questioned, desperately rubbing at the hickey to make it go away. Mia sighed and pulled out a lipstick tube. "Mia, putting lipstick on it isn't going to hide it."

Mia closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance. "Just sit down," she said on a sigh. Alex did as she was told eyeing Mia wearily as she came closer with just the cap of the lipstick in her hand. "This might hurt a little, but it works on Letty so…"

She stretched out the skin where the hickey was and pressed the lipstick tube cap into it before twisting it. Alex jerked away. "Ow! Are you _cra_zy?"

"Are you?" Mia shot back at her, chasing after her as she moved away. "Come back here! You can't go out on a date with a hickey on your neck!"

"Watch me!" Alex yelled back. "Can't I just put concealer on it, please? Or wear a scarf?"

"You're going to the beach, Lex. We make_ fun_ of girls who wear scarves at the beach."

She scowled, her hand still on the hickey protecting it from Mia. "Yeah, well now it kind of makes sense."

Vince couldn't help but snicker to himself as he heard the girls argue. He'd known exactly what he was doing back there in the kitchen. Yeah, it was a childish move, but he wanted whatever punk had asked her out to know that she belonged to someone else. He muted the TV, choosing instead to listen to the girls bicker about clothing options. They fought much like Letty and Mia did on race nights, except that it seemed Alex gave in a hell of a lot more than Letty ever did.

The doorbell rang and the girls' shouting quieted down. "Vince! Get the door! She's not ready yet! No you can't wear Converse! Are you crazy?" Mia shouted. He smirked, getting up, maybe he could scare the guy away before they even left the house. "And don't scare him away!" Mia interrupted. He frowned, Mia knew him too well.

He opened the door to find a tall, thin guy behind it; a baseball hat was placed loosely on top of his mop top blonde hair. "Hey. How's it going?" he asked giving Vince a nod. "Does Alex live here?"

The urge to tell him no was strong but he didn't say anything. He nodded, taking a step back to let him inside. "She's not ready yet."

"No worries, man," the guy said with a shrug. "I'm Carter by the way."

"Good for you," Vince muttered in response as he made his way to the living room. He sat down and went back to watching the Knicks game.

Carter followed behind him, taking a seat on the opposite end of the couch. "You rooting for the Lakers?"

"No."

"Nice, a man after my own heart," Carter said with a pleased nod.

Vince raised an eyebrow at him. "You're a Knicks fan?" he asked, doubt lacing his words.

"Oh for sure," he answered. "Check it out." He stood up and pointed to the tattoo on the back of his calf of the Knicks logo. "I'm a diehard fan, man. I almost got tickets to this game but they were sold out. Plus, I didn't think Alex would want to go."

"You're probably right, she hates basketball," Vince lied.

Carter didn't look surprised. He shook his head sadly. "Chicks, man, they just don't understand the complexities and beauty of the game," he said sarcastically. Vince had nothing to say to that so he nodded fighting the urge to laugh at the punk. "So are you Alex's brother or something?"

"No."

"Roommate?"

Vince smirked. "Something like that."

Carter gave him a confused look, but whatever he was going to say was cut off as Alex and Mia entered the room. Alex was wearing a white eyelet tank top with short jean shorts that Vince could've sworn were the ones he'd made his sister change out of a few months before. It seemed she'd won one battle with Mia because she was wearing her favorite pair of yellow Converse shoes. Mia had curled her dark hair so that the soft curls hung just past her shoulders, bouncing whenever she moved. Vince thought she looked beautiful.

"Wow, you look beautiful," Carter breathed, taking Vince's words right out of his mouth. He stood up and walked over to her as she introduced Mia to him. Once the introduction was over, he held out an arm for her. "Shall we?"

"Hold on, let me grab my board," she said before quickly darting into her room. She reappeared seconds later with her brightly colored skateboard in hand. She took Carter's arm with a grin. "Let's go."

"All right," Carter said smiling right back at her. "It was nice meeting you," he called to Mia and Vince.

Vince gave him a nod, his teeth clenched tightly together. Once the door had closed behind them, Mia turned on him. "God, you're a jerk," she exclaimed, giving him one of her death glares.

"_Me_?" Vince questioned in surprise. "What did _I_ do?"

"Oh please! You gave her a _hickey_, Vince. Right before her date! Why would you do that?"

He shrugged. "I didn't mean to."

"Bull shit!" Mia shot back with a laugh. "You're lucky I hid that thing so well. I like Carter. I'm thinkin' they can go far."

Vince looked disgusted by the thought of that. "He's a tool. He's got the Knicks' logo _tattooed_ on his calf. Who does that?"

"You _love_ the Knicks, Vince," Mia reminded him.

He snorted, shaking his head. "Not _that_ much. There's gotta be something wrong with him."

She shook her head right back at him, setting a hand on his arm. "V, the only thing wrong with that boy is that he likes Alex and she might like him back and that freaks you out because she's _your_ girl. She's the one that you want to be with at the end of the day just like Letty is for Dom."

"Don't start that shit, Mia."

"What? It's _true_."

"It's not. Drop it," he said sternly. He grabbed his keys out of his pocket and headed out the door.

Mia followed after him, managing to get into the car just before he could pull away. "Jerk," she muttered under her breath as they began to drive home.

Once at his house, Vince took a shower before heading to the fort for another of Dom's barbeques. Alex had been present at the last few and the fact that she wasn't there for this one bothered him, though no one else seemed to care. He missed the way she'd laugh at everything, the way she and Leon were always ragging on each other for one reason or another, and the way her foot always managed to brush against his leg, sliding up it suggestively while her face remained innocent, a hint of a naughty smile turning up the corner of her lips. "Vince!" Dom shouted across the table, an expectant look on his face. Apparently, Letty had asked him a question and he hadn't answered.

"What?" Vince questioned, trying to remember what the team was talking about before he lost his train of thought.

Letty chuckled and shook her head. "Don't worry about it. You were in la-la-land, bro. What were you thinking about?"

"Alex," Mia answered easily, "Obviously."

Dom raised his eyebrows at Vince, a surprised look on his face. "That true?"

Vince scowled at Mia. "Nah, man. I was thinking about mods for the Maxima."

Mia snorted and rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Right."

Vince fought the urge to kick her underneath the table. He wished she would just butt out of his personal life, but he knew that was something Mia would never do. She loved to be in the thick of things and it drove everyone around her crazy.

* * *

Alex was still laughing when Carter pulled up to her house. She'd had a great time on her date with him. They skated and talked about their different activities. He was into most of the things she was. They'd already agreed to go surfing together sometime soon; he had gotten a new long board and she wanted to see it in action. "I had fun tonight, Cart. Thanks," she said giving him a smile.

"Yeah, me too. I'm definitely glad I didn't get those game tickets, though. That guy told me you didn't like basketball. I would've been bummed if we'd gone and you had hated it."

"Well, Vince is an idiot," she said with a roll of her eyes. She wondered briefly if it was his lame attempt at sabotaging their date. In any case, it didn't work. "I like basketball. Not enough to get a tattoo or anything, but I like going to games. I've been going to them since I was little."

Carter let out a light laugh. "Well, there goes my next date idea. I was going to make you chose a team and then get a tattoo of it. Damn!" he said sarcastically.

"Sorry, but that plan sucks!" She laughed, shaking her head at him. "I guess I better be going since I need to get up early and all…"

"Right. Here, I'll get the door for you," he said, jumping out of the car and heading around to her door. He opened it and took her hand so he could help her down from his tall truck. Once she was on the ground, he didn't let go of it. "So is there a possibility for a second date?"

Alex shrugged. "Only if you come up with a better idea than tattoos."

Carter smiled and nodded. "I think I can handle that." He reached up a hand to brush a stray hair from her face before leaning in for a kiss.

She knew she should turn away. It was only the first date after all, and she didn't want to look needy or easy, but she wanted to kiss him. She wanted to see if his kiss would give her the same butterflies as Vince's did, so she leant in and met his lips halfway. To her despair, she found she felt nothing. Kissing Carter was about as romantic as kissing Fisher. They pulled away and Carter made a face, apparently she wasn't the only one who noticed. "Was that…weird for you?"

Alex grimaced. "Um…sort of," she answered truthfully. She was a terrible liar and hated doing it.

"I'm sorry," Carter said, his cheeks flushing red in embarrassment. "I'm kind of…hung up on my ex. I mean, you're great and I really like you but…"

She relaxed a little; glad it wasn't solely her fault. "It's all right. I know the feeling. Friends?"

Carter nodded enthusiastically. "I'd like that," he answered with a smile. He pecked her cheek lightly. "I'll see you around then. We'll go surfing!"

She squeezed his hand. "Definitely. I'll call you when I get back."

"Cool," he said letting her hand go and heading to his car. He stopped at the curb and turned to her, "Some advice: give that Vince-dude a shot. He likes you and it's pretty obvious that you like him too."

"What?" Alex felt her jaw drop. How could he know? Before she could interrogate him, his truck was pulling away. He gave her a wave goodbye as he drove off. "Crazy boy," she mumbled as she opened her door and headed inside.

As she got dressed for bed, she went over the date in her mind. She was thoroughly confused; was the way she felt about Vince really that obvious? She hadn't even talked about him during the date. How could Carter tell? Had he seen the hickey? _No_, she told herself. Mia had done an amazing job at covering it up. There was no way. "Ugh," she groaned, giving up on trying to figure. She threw herself into bed and pulled the cold sheets over her head.

She tossed and turned for awhile, trying to get warm. She needed to sleep. Driving to Vegas the next day would not be pleasant if she didn't get enough sleep especially since she wouldn't be back home until at least four in the morning. Try as she might, she couldn't get warm. _Call Vince_, a voice told her as she continued to toss and turn. _He'll keep you warm_. She shook her head. No way was the going to happen. One thing was to hook up after a night of partying, it was quite another to call him out of the blue and ask him to keep her warm.

* * *

So? What'd you think? Let me know! Next chapter is already up so you can comment both at once or do it separately...whatever works for you! :D

~Love Ink


	33. Risky Business

Second chapter...this one's a bit more exciting then the last and Michaela's back! :)

Review please! Let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Mickey and Alex... :D

* * *

**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 33: Risky Business _

**By: LoveInk**

Alex woke up to her doorbell ringing over and over again. With a groan, she rolled out of bed and padded her way to the living room sweeping her hair up into a messy side ponytail in the process. When she opened the door, she was surprised to find Vince behind it. Rolling her eyes, she headed into the kitchen and watched her coffee drip into the glass coffee pitcher of the automated coffeemaker. "Don't you have a key?" she mumbled grumpily as he followed after her. She'd given Leon and Vince keys to her house since she'd already lost three of hers in the past two months and had deemed it necessary for other people to have copies so that if she should lose them again, she wouldn't have to call the firemen to open her door.

Vince couldn't help but smile at how cute she looked. She kept rubbing at her eyes like a little kid who had just woken up, smearing her makeup in the process. Her hair was a complete mess and her shirt had ridden up in the night, exposing part of her stomach. When she caught him looking, she quickly smoothed it down, a blush rising to her cheeks. "I thought it was for emergencies only," he answered with a smirk.

"But I was sleeping," she replied, a small whine to her voice.

"Late night?" he asked, following her into the kitchen.

She shrugged as she poured herself some coffee. "Nope. He knew I had to go to bed early."

"Did you have fun?" Vince inquired as he leant against the counter next to her.

"Actually, I did," she chirped cheerfully.

"Did you kiss him?" he questioned nonchalantly.

Alex sighed as she weighed her options. Tell him, and he was sure to get mad. Lie and he was sure to know she was lying…but maybe he'd appreciate the gesture. She decided to settle on the middle answer. "Maybe," she said lightly before changing the subject. "Did you need something, Vince?"

Vince couldn't help but feel annoyed by her evasive answer. He knew she had, could tell by the way her cheeks reddened when he'd asked. "I just wanted to see how your date went," he replied, his irritation bleeding into his voice.

"It was really fun," she replied, ignoring his irritated tone. "We skated around Venice beach and enjoyed those cheesy shops. There was food involved and it was delicious. Carter's a really sweet guy."

Vince looked disappointed by her answer. "I don't like him. He's a tool."

She took a sip of her coffee, trying hard not to laugh at the jealousy written all over his face. "Jealous much?" she teased.

He shook his head. "Nah, I'm just looking out for you. I don't want you to get hurt again."

"Aw how sweet," she mocked in a baby voice while playfully squishing his cheeks between her index finger and thumb. He swatted her hand away with a scowl and she giggled. "Don't worry about me, V. I'm a big girl. On a side note, he was incredibly surprised to discover I like basketball."

"Oh was he?" Vince replied innocently.

She nodded. "Mmm-hmm because apparently _some_body told him I hated basketball."

"He's got a Knicks tattoo, Tiny," he said by way of explanation. He figured she'd find out what he told him eventually. "That's just...wrong."

"That what _I_ said! I mean, he should definitely have a Spurs tattoo instead. The Knicks suck."

Vince poked her side as he scowled. "That's a lie and let's not even go there."

Alex giggled while she started pulling pots and pans from the cupboard. "Agreed. Breakfast?"

"Sounds good," he said with a nod. "I missed Mia's."

"Figured as much."

He watched her crack and beat eggs from his place next to the oven. "You should put some milk in them. Makes them fluffy."

"Milk? Seriously?" Alex looked at him like he was crazy.

"Yeah," he nodded, grabbing the carton out of the fridge. "Try it."

"You do it." She stepped out of the way and let him cook, watching him as he started making the eggs. "You're a closet chef!" she accused with a grin.

He chuckled, bobbing his head up and down. "Yeah. Don't tell Mia, though."

"Want to keep cooking so I can take a shower?" she asked, hoping he'd say yes.

Vince let out a long sigh before nodding. "Go ahead. I can't promise anything too fancy."

"I'll eat whatever. There's bacon in the fridge," she sang before skipping down the hallway to her bedroom.

He took the bacon out and put it in a pan. In no time, he was finished cooking a small breakfast. It hadn't been difficult and he had to admit, he was proud of it. He covered all the food to keep it from getting cold and headed back to Alex's room. The door was open, so he didn't bother to knock choosing instead to watch her as he leant against the doorjamb. She had just pulled the top of a checkered lime green and black bikini over her head and was gather the string to tie in the back.

Vince stared at the silky smooth span of her back. A sudden longing to touch her soft, warm skin filled him. "Need some help?" he offered though he knew she could do it herself.

Alex looked at his reflection in the mirror in front of her as she considered his proposition. If she said yes, she knew where it would lead; he'd helped her tie her bikini many times and, more often than not, it ended with them lying in bed with the top discarded on the floor. "I got it," she answered, tying a quick bow behind her back. "Thanks."

"Yeah," he said with a quick nod. "Food's ready."

She pulled on a tank top before turning around and smiling at him. "It smells good, V," she said, standing on her toes to press a kiss to his jaw. "Thanks."

He grinned, wrapping her in a one armed hug. "I hope it _tastes_ good because I'm hungry."

Alex giggled before rubbing his stomach lovingly. "I'm not surprised. Let's go eat!"

Vince served up two plates, one with a considerable amount of food more than the other. "Table or couch?" he asked.

"Couch," she said decidedly. She served him a mug of coffee and fixed it up the way he liked it.

Vince smiled, he loved that no meal was ever formal with her. She never set the table or said Grace. Most of the time, she'd eat standing at the counter or lounging on the couch watching a good movie. Today, one of her guilty pleasure shows was on: The Real World. "I don't understand why you watch this shit," Vince said gesturing to the big TV.

"It's funny," Alex defended around a mouthful of food. "So what did you end up doing last night? Or should I say _who_?"

He laughed and shook his head. "Went to the races, partied, and then went home alone."

Her eyebrows lifted in surprise. "That's new."

"Well, you weren't around so…"

"Ha ha very funny," she shot back sarcastically. "You know Mia will tell me."

"She's got nothin' to tell, sweetheart," he said on a shrug. It was true. He hadn't taken anyone home the night before. He'd been too preoccupied with the thought of Alex on a date with that annoying punk to really get his game on.

She rolled her eyes before wrinkling her nose. "Don't call me sweetheart. That's almost worse than 'babe'."

Vince chuckled. "What's wrong with 'babe'?"

"Guys use it when they can't remember your name," she explained easily. He snorted in response. "Right?"

He nodded slowly. "You're good."

Alex shrugged a shoulder. "I grew up with guys, I know the tricks." Her phone blared loudly from its place in her room. She set her plate down on the counter before jumping up to get it. Vince let out a loud laugh as she tripped over her own feet on her way to her room. She recovered quickly, flipping him off as she disappeared down the hallway.

"Have a nice trip?" he asked as she came back, phone pressed to her ear.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "No, it's not my date from last night. Jeez, I'm not _that_ easy. It's your brother."

"You fucked my brother last night?" Michaela gasped. "_Lexi_, two men in one night! Damn girl, I haven't done that since high school."

Vince watched as a blush crept onto Alex's cheeks and wondered what his sister was saying. "I did _not._ Cut it out! He just came over to…well, I don't really know why he came over. He _did_ make me breakfast though."

"Are you sure it's my brother and not some cyborg? Vince hasn't cooked since I was like ten. He must really like you."

"I will hang up the phone, Mickey," Alex threatened. It was how their conversations usually went. They'd talk for all of two minutes before Michaela would start teasing her about her brother. It usually ended with Alex threatening to hang up without giving the phone to Leon. She never went through with it and once Michaela hung up the phone with Leon, Leon would start right where she'd left off. It was like they planned it.

Michaela scoffed. "No you won't. You never do. Plus, this is the last day of this telephone madness, remember? Tonight, I will be able to rag on you in person."

"Yippee," Alex said flatly. "What do you need, Micks?"

"Just making sure everything's in motion."

"It is. I already filled up the gas tank in Fisher's CRV and bought lots of energy drinks. I'll drive there if you drive back."

"Fair enough. Can I talk to V? I haven't bugged him in awhile. I want to make sure he still remembers me."

Alex handed the phone over to Vince. "Hello?" he asked into the phone pretending like he didn't know who was on the other line.

"Hello! It's the number one lady in your life!" Michaela's voice chimed back. "Or have I been replaced? Because if Lex replaced me, that's fine. Amazing, actually."

"I'm sorry. Who is this?" Vince asked, playing dumb. "It might be my sister, but I haven't heard her voice in a long time since she only talks to her boyfriend. In fact, Letty _and_ Mia might've passed her on the list of ladies in my life."

Michaela laughed. "Bitches. I knew you always liked them more than me," she said with mock offense. "How are things, bro?"

"Fine."

"Why are you at Alex's house? She doesn't seem to know. Are you trying to get her to give you some before she leaves?"

Vince shook his head at his sister in disbelief. "Again, I don't want to talk about that stuff with you. What time are you two leaving from Vegas?"

"Late," Michaela answered, dodging the exact time because she knew it was piss him off.

"How late?"

"Late like midnight-ish late. We'll be fine. I'll drive the whole way and we'll make stops and stuff. We'll be totally safe!"

Vince looked at Alex who was staring a little too intently at the screen as though she didn't want to get into his conversation. "That's insane! Can't you guys wait just one day?"

"Nope! Sorry!" she said trying to sound light hearted. "I've got to go! I'll see you soon. Love you!"

With that she hung up. Vince stared at the phone in disbelief. "She hung up on me," he said, his tone shocked.

Alex nodded. "She does that when she doesn't want to talk about something."

"And when she avoids talking about things; it's usually because she knows she's wrong. Midnight is late, Tiny. Why don't you just wait until the next day? It'll be easier and safer. A few hours more of waiting can't possibly be so bad."

She breathed in a deep breath. Truth be told, she didn't feel too good about it either. She turned to him, crossing her legs on the cushion so she could face him. "Look, the drive is only four hours long, I know how to read a map, we both know how to drive, and apparently, your sister has a gun. There's _nothing_ we can't handle, V. Relax."

"Mickey told you about the gun. I'm glad I told her not to tell anyone."

Alex shook her head. "Lee told me," she said with a shrug. She saw Vince's jaw clenched and knew what he was thinking. "I don't know why you're angry at him. Michaela's the one who told him in the first place. In fact, the thought that you weren't going to tell me that Mickey had a gun pisses _me_ of."

"I was going to tell you," he lied easily.

"Liar," she shot back. "It doesn't really matter. It's not like we're going to need it."

* * *

Michaela couldn't describe the feeling of freedom she felt as she faced the open road ahead of her; freedom from her job, freedom from her difficult schedule, from her tyrant boss. She was finally free and on her way to the man she loved. Alex was sitting in the passenger's seat, her feet kicked up on the dashboard. She looked lost in thought as she stared out the window. "Lex, what is going through that head of yours?"

"Nothing," Alex replied innocently. She was actually thinking about Vince, but she wasn't about to go into that with Michaela. "How excited are you to get back to Leon?" she questioned, knowing the mere mention of his name would distract her friend.

A wide grin spread across her face. "You have no idea. I went to this lingerie shop that all the strippers shop at and bought this a really cute blue set just for him. He's going to love it."

"Just make sure your brother's out of the house so you can avoid a homicide."

"Well, that's what I have _you_ for," Michaela retorted watching as Alex took another swig of her energy drink. "I figured you can distract him for a few hours since I bought you the same set in a different color."

Alex practically choked on her drink. "What?" she managed to say around her coughing. "You're crazy, Mickey! I'm not going to…you know…with your brother in a lingerie set that matches yours! That's just…_wrong_!"

"Would you do him without the lingerie set?"

"What? No!" she lied shaking her head vigorously from side to side. "We're not…I don't…"

Michaela rolled her eyes at her sputtering friend. "Bull shit. I have on good authority that you two have already done the nasty various times. Apparently, you're just friends with benefits which is total bull shit if you ask me."

"That's the last time I tell Mia anything," Alex muttered under her breath.

"It's a good thing she's not the one who told me then," Michaela quipped. At Alex's shocked look, she shrugged. "Leon told me. Apparently you two aren't being very discreet."

A deep blush flooded Alex's cheeks. "I didn't think anyone really cared…except Mia. She made her feelings _very_ clear."

"She's probably right too. She always is."

Alex groaned as she rolled her eyes. "Not you too!"

Michaela laughed. She honestly didn't care what Alex and her brother did on their spare time. All she wanted was for her brother to be happy, and she knew he would be if he was actually _dating_ Alex instead of just having sex with her. "Nah, I don't care. I'm just messing with you. Just know that Mia has a way of being right…like all the time. It's annoying really."

"Dually noted," she replied with an appreciative nod. Her eyes fell on the side mirror. "Hey, hasn't that monster car been following us for awhile now?"

"Monster car?" Michaela repeated on a laugh as she looked at the Hummer in her rearview mirror. When it came to cars, Alex was surprisingly clueless. "You'd think with all the time you spend with Vince and Leon, you'd be catching on to some of the car lingo."

Alex shook her head. "They dumb it down for me," she explained. "Regardless, that big black monster car has been _tailing_ us. It's a bit scary."

"Relax, Lex. If you haven't noticed, we're on a two lane highway. There's literally nowhere else for him to go. We're not the only ones going to California."

Despite Michaela's assurance, Alex wasn't so sure. The black car had been following them since Vegas even though it'd had more than enough chances to pass them. Her phone blared loudly from its place in the center console. Both girls' arms shot out to pick it up, but Alex was closer. She sat up and pressed the answer key. "Hello?" she asked pressing speakerphone so they both could listen.

"Hey Tiny. How's the trip going?" Vince's voice answered back.

Alex looked at the car's clock. "Vince, it's one in the morning! You should be sleeping!"

"I would be if I didn't have such a bad feeling about this whole trip," he replied and she could picture him running his hands through his messy hair. "Lee and Jess are here too. Guess I'm not the only one who's worried."

"You guys are such _girls_!" Michaela yelled toward the phone. "We're fine!"

Vince was about to say something back when he heard both girls gasp. "What? What happened?"

"That asshole just hit our bumper! What the hell?" Michaela screamed, glaring fiercely at the guy behind them. "Go around me ya dickhead! I'm in the fucking slow lane here!"

"Pull over to the side of the road, Mickey!" Vince's angry voice came over the phone. "Don't mess with him!"

But Michaela was already messing with him, tapping on her breaks to get him to back off. "Go around or back the fuck off, asshole!" she yelled, holding her middle finger out of the open window.

"Cut it out, Michaela!" Vince ordered, worry bleeding into his voice.

"Please, Micks, just pull over!" Alex pleaded, glancing into the rearview mirror. It was too dark to see whatever moron was persuing them and she had no idea what make the car was. "Vince, it's this big black monster car! What do we do?" she asked, her voice shaking with panic.

"Pull over!" he shouted into the phone. That's when he heard the sickening crunch that came with two cars hitting each other followed by the piercing notes of the girls' screams. Then the line went dead.

* * *

Cliffhanger? Maybe? A little?

What do you think?

Thanks so much for your reviews! Keep them coming! :D

~Love Ink


	34. The Aftermath

Thanks so much for all your reviews! You guys are awesome! I'm sorry this took me so long to upload! I promise the next one will be uploaded a lot sooner! :)

As always, _please_ let me know what you think!

On an uber exciting sidenote: VINCE IS COMING BACK IN THE FIFTH MOVIE! YAAAAYY! If you haven't looked it up online yet, check out and you'll see picture of Matt Schulze all dolled up as the ole Coyote we all know and love! :D

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Alex and Michaela.

* * *

**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 34: The Aftermath_

**By: LoveInk**

As the CRV tumbled over the side of the highway, Michaela felt as though she was on the roller coaster ride from hell. It finally stopped; miraculously landing right side up. With a groan, she opened her eyes. She heard Alex curse as she began to move. Looking over at the smaller girl, she grimaced, blood was dripping down the side over her face from a cut across her brow. "You okay, Micks?" Alex asked coughing in the dust the car had left behind.

Michaela nodded as she pushed open her dented door with her arm. "Yeah. I just can't move my foot," she groaned, trying to get out of the car. "That's a nasty cut you've got there."

"I'm fine," Alex said brushing her comment off. She blinked away the blood that was trickling into her eye. Lifting up the hem of her shirt, she wiped the sticky liquid off her face. "Hold on, I'll help you in a sec." Unbuckling herself, she decided to use her shoulder as leverage to push through it. As it opened, she held out her palms to brace herself as she fell face first into the dust. Pain shot up her arm when she landed. Crying out, she looked at her palm to find a large piece of glass embedded in it. "Ow! Shit," she murmured. "Hold on, Mickey." She got up carefully and headed over to Michaela's side.

With a lot of cautious maneuvering, she managed to get Michaela out of the car and onto the ground. She let out a low groan of pain as she landed on her back, on top of Alex. The fall left more scratches all over their arms from the broken glass that littered the ground around them. "Ow, ow, ow, my foot!" Michaela complained as she rolled off of Alex.

Alex glanced down at Mickey's slightly swollen foot. "I think it's broken," she stated with a wince.

Michaela couldn't help but agree with her. "I wouldn't be surprised," she said through gritted teeth. "Oh fuck, it hurts!"

"We need to call 911," Alex said, her voice wavering nervously. "Did you see where the phone went?"

"I lost track of it, you know, when the _car was flipping over_!" she said, her tone aggravated.

"Sorry, sorry!" Alex muttered, standing as she walked around the car. The only sound was the slow crunching of her sandals over the glass and dirt. Her cell phone rang, its cheery ringtone out of place in the car wreckage. She followed the sound and found it covered in dust. "Hello?" she answered.

"What the hell Tiny? What happened?" Vince's voice boomed from the other end.

"The monster car ran us off the road," Alex explained walking back over to Michaela.

Michaela looked at her like she was crazy. They were both injured badly and she was taking the time to stop and talk on the phone! "Alex! 911! Now!" she ordered, glaring at her.

"Oh right. Sorry, V," she said hanging up on him before he could get another word in. She dialed 911 and explained the injuries before taking a seat next to Michaela.

"You're bleeding. A lot," Michaela pointed out, eyeing the trails of blood that were racing along her forearm from the cut in her hand. The cut above her eyebrow looked even worse as it oozed blood down the side of her face. "It's all right. Red's a good color on you."

Alex stretched her arm out in front of her and nodded. She looked down at her friend's ankle which was a few size larger than it should've been and starting to turn purple. "I know. It's one of my favorites."

Both girls laughed a little, the adrenaline coursing through their veins making them giddy. Alex's cell phone rang again. "Vince," both girls said in unison. Alex looked at her small phone, it was sticky from her blood. She stuck out her tongue in disgust. "Ew," she said before picking it up. "Um hi."

"You hung up on me!" Vince shouted.

Michaela giggled, she could hear her brother's voice clearly despite the fact the speaker phone was not on. Alex glared at her. "I needed to call 911," she said starting to feel a little dizzy. "I'm sorry."

Alex's eyes started drooping closed, a sure sign that she was losing too much blood too fast. Michaela snatched the phone from her, rubbing her back soothingly. "Ambulance is almost here, Lex. Sit tight," she murmured to Alex before pressing the phone to her ear. "Vince. We're all right, I think. The ambulance is close by, I can hear it now. I don't know what hospital we're going to, but I'll have them call you ASAP. Bye!"

"He's going to kill us for hanging up on him so much," Alex said with a weak laugh.

"I know, right?" Michaela replied on a laugh.

* * *

Jesse watched as Leon and Vince paced back and forth in two separate parts of the living room. Vince was running his hands through his hair like crazy while Leon was muttering curse words to himself. Jesse, however, was calm as could be. He knew the girls were safe; they wouldn't have answered the phone if they weren't. The phone rang and both boys fell over themselves in their race to answer it. Jesse stepped over the two of them and picked it up off the hook. "Hello? Catella residence," Jesse said politely.

A woman on the other end told him the details about the girls and where they were staying. Jesse wrote down the address and thanked the young nurse. When he hung up the phone, Vince and Leon attacked him with questions. "Calm down you two!" Jesse shouted over them. "They're in the hospital getting their injuries taken care of. At the moment, the doctors don't know if they'll have to stay overnight but…neither of you are listening to me, so who really cares," he muttered when he realized that after his first sentence, the two of them had begun arguing over whose car they were going to take to the hospital.

"How far is the hospital, Jess?" Leon asked, chewing anxiously on his toothpick.

Jesse shrugged. "Two hours. Lee, you should probably drive, you're better under pressure."

Vince scowled at Jesse but nodded in agreement. It was true; though Leon was obviously troubled by the girls' crash, he managed to keep somewhat calm. "Let's go, then. You comin' Jess?"

"No thanks. These are your girls and I don't want to ride bitch all the way home tomorrow," Jesse said shaking his head exaggeratedly. "Call me when you guys get back. Drive safely…but fast…but safe…but fast…"

"Got it, Jess," Leon cut him off, nodding before rushing out the front door, Vince hot on his heels. Jesse watched Leon peel out of the driveway with a squeal of his tires before zooming off into the night. He shook his head at the yellow Skyline hoping they'd make the trip safely.

* * *

Michaela looked around the small room with the large sized conference table. She and Alex had been sitting there for at least half an hour waiting to be questioned by the FBI. Glancing over at Alex, she found the tan girl to be picking at the edges of the bandage on her left hand. The gash that the glass had left in her palm had required ten stitches. "Stop that," Michaela chastised, slapping her hand away before reaching down to itch around the top of her cast. A broken foot, the doctor had told her while wrapping the dark blue tape around it.

"_You_ stop that," Alex replied glancing pointedly at the hand that was itching around the cast.

"The doctor said I couldn't scratch _inside_ the cast, he didn't mention outside," she shot back. The policeman who was sitting with them hid a laugh. The two girls had been bickering like siblings since he'd sat them down.

Michaela eyed the door nervously as the handle turned. The idea of having to talk to an FBI agent was daunting; she'd never experienced that sort of thing. As two agents strode in, she sat up a little bit straighter and was surprised when Alex didn't do the same. She looked just as bored and calm as ever as the two agents took their seats across from them. "Alex," the tan agent addressed her calmly, an air of familiarity about him.

"Hey Rube," Alex said back on a sigh. "I figured they'd send you." Michaela looked from her friend to the agent in complete confusion, but neither of them explained their connection to each other.

The one who Alex knew introduced himself as Agent Ruben Miralles, the other younger-looking agent was Agent Jack Ramsey. They questioned the girls for the next half hour, asking Michaela questions about her job, her boss, and made both girls tell the story of the crash over and over each time coming up with more questions.

By the end of the hour, Michaela was staring at ceiling, her fists clenched in frustration while Alex had her head in her hands, elbows propped up on the table before her. Both girls were cranky from lack of sleep and were at their breaking point.

"Now what kind of car was it?" Ramsey asked. He was the one asking the questions and it was clear that he was a rookie by the way he'd repeated the same ones over and over.

"A big black monster-looking car," Alex repeated flatly, rubbing at her temples.

Michaela groaned. "A _Hummer_," she corrected. "It was a fucking _Hummer_ for the fiftieth time."

Ramsey nodded. "And you don't remember the license plate?"

Alex shook her head before turning to Agent Miralles. "Rube, this is ridiculous! How many more questions are there?"

Ruben sighed and stood from his chair. "I think that's enough Rams," he said, patting the younger agent's shoulder. "We can call them later if we think of anything else. Go ahead; I'll meet you in the car."

"_Thank_ you," Michaela said on a sigh.

Alex groaned in relief when the young agent had finally left. "Finally! Was this his first time?"

"I'm sorry, Lexi, but I thought you'd go easier on him," Ruben answered with a smirk. "To make it up to you, I grabbed you some clothes and I got you girls a hotel room. Ms. Catella, your items are already there waiting for you." He set the information down on table in front of them with a small plastic bag Michaela could only guess held Alex's clothes.

Michaela mumbled a thank you as Alex hugged the agent. "Thank you, Rube. Tell Izzie and Maxi I say hi."

Ruben nodded as he opened the door. "Be safe, okay?" he said looking over his shoulder at her.

"Of course," Alex said on a nod.

As soon as he was gone, Michaela turned to Alex. "How the hell do you know an FBI agent?"

"He's my brother-in-law. I've known him since I was five," Alex explained easily. "He's been working mob cases in Nevada for the past couple of years. I figured he'd be in on this one. C'mon, let's go to the hotel. I'm wiped."

Her explanation was believable. Michaela had definitely gotten the sibling vibe from the two of them. She was grateful for the connection, without it they'd have been stuck at the hospital trying to find a room for the night. "I hope it's a good hotel," Michaela joked.

"It better be," Alex said with an enthusiastic nod, "after all the questioning he put us through, we deserve it!"

* * *

Leon and Vince pulled up in front of the hotel the nurse had given them the address to. Rifling through the stack of papers the nurse had given him, Vince found a key card with a room number on it. A sticky note was attached to it that read:

_Just give the front desk your name. They'll make sure you get a key. – Agent Miralles._

"No wonder the nurse made you show her ID," Leon mused as he found a parking space.

Vince nodded, glad he hadn't given into his instincts and made a scene when the nurse asked for his ID before she gave them any information. They walked through the empty lobby and into the elevator, pressing the button to the top floor.

Leon's heart was pumping in his chest as they neared the room number. What were they going to find when they opened the door? Obviously they were all right if the hospital released them, but it still worried him. "You think they're awake?" he asked Vince as they stopped in front of their door.

"I don't know," Vince replied looking just as nervous. "Open it."

"All right, all right," Leon said, sliding the key into the lock.

The door opened to a foyer complete with a mini kitchen and a couch with a bed already pulled out of it. "Bedroom," Vince stated, pointing to set of double doors. They each took a door in their hands and opened them together.

The two girls were cuddled together on the king-sized bed that was sitting in the middle of the room. Michaela was lying on her back with Alex sleeping on her shoulder, the TV bathing them in a blue light.

Vince took the opportunity to look them over. Michaela was wearing a blue crop top with a pair of what he assumed were Leon's basketball shorts and Alex had on a white oversized, off the shoulder cropped t-shirt that was straight out of the eighties with black dance shorts. He could see bandages wrapping around Michaela's torso, a clear indication that she'd suffered either fractured or broken ribs along with a dark blue cast wrapped around her foot. Other than small bruises and scrapes that covered her arms, Alex appeared to be fine. "Should we wake them?"

Leon knew they shouldn't, that they should just let them sleep, but he couldn't help it. He hadn't seen Michaela in three months and he'd missed her like crazy. He wanted nothing more than to wake her up. "Yeah," he answered already going over to Michaela's side of the bed. "Or at least move them."

"I'll move Tiny over to the sofa bed," Vince offered. "That way you two can have time to talk." He emphasized the word talk as though to tell Leon that talking was all they better be doing.

He nodded in response; as long as he was with Michaela, everything would be all right. "Thanks, man."

Vince grunted as he picked Alex up in his arms. "Don't make me regret it," he muttered as he carried her out to the living room. He laid her down on the sofa bed, not at all surprised that she didn't wake up on their trip over there; she was one of the heaviest sleepers he knew. He shucked off his jeans and pulled his tanks off before slipping into bed next to her. Once he got comfortable, he turned to her, surprised to see her dark green eyes staring back at him. "Hi," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "You mad at me?"

"No," he answered, his gruff voice equally as quiet. He turned so he was on his side, mimicking her position. "Tiny, I'm just glad you're all right."

She nodded. "I'm fine," she assured him, bringing up her bandaged hand to touch his face lightly. He eyed the bandage wearily, gently catching her wrist in his hand to see it better. "I fell on glass," she explained, a laugh in her voice. She couldn't believe her worst injury had been a result of her own clumsiness instead of the actual crash. "I got out of the car and fell on glass. Ten stitches."

Vince fought a smile. "You're such a klutz," he commented, brushing a stray hair away from her face. His eyes fell on the small butterfly bandage on her eyebrow. "What's this?"

"A cut. The doctor said it'll scar, which is great, I'll be scar face," she said sarcastically.

He leant forward and pressed a kiss just above the small cut. "You're beautiful," he murmured, his breath hot on her forehead. "Scar and all."

She smiled as butterflies stampeded through her stomach. Snuggling closer to him, she pressed a kiss to his chest, just over his heart. "Thank you."

With a sigh, he kissed her forehead before resting his chin on her head. "Tiny?"

"Mmm?" she asked on the edge of sleep.

"I don't want you seeing other people," he admitted quietly.

A small smile turned up the corners of her lips, but she didn't say anything. _Let him sweat it out a little bit_, she thought. "Vince?" she said after a minute had gone by.

"Yeah?" he asked pulling away so he could see her face.

"I don't want to see other people," Alex answered honestly. Yawning, she nuzzled closer to him. "Only you."

He kissed her before hugging her closer to his chest. Despite the events of the night, he felt unbelievably happy. "I think I can handle that," he said, finally accepting the idea of seeing only one girl for as long as he could keep her.

Leon shut the door behind them before turning around to face the bed. Michaela was standing on one foot waiting for him, grinning like a kid on her birthday. He couldn't help but smile back as he tackled to her the bed, gently of course so as to avoid hurting her.

Michaela giggled, raking her fingers through his hair before catching his lips in a passionate kiss. "I missed you," she whispered against his lips.

"I missed you too," he answered, getting off of her so that she could get comfortable on the bed. He took off his jeans and climbed in next to her. "You scared the crap out of me, you know that?" he asked as she lay down on top of him, her chin resting on his chest so she could look at him.

She frowned and nodded. "I'm sorry, Lee. We should've just waited, but I just…I wanted to get back to you as soon as possible."

"Don't be sorry, Princess," he said, brushing the back of his hand against her soft cheek. "We're together now. Nothing else matters."

Michaela turned her head to kiss his hand. "I love you," she said on a sigh as she laid her head back on his chest.

His hand slid across her back, wrapping gently around her waist to hold her close. "You too," he replied, watching her eyes flutter closed. "Go to sleep, Princess. We can talk in the morning."

The bright sun woke Vince up. His back was back aching from the uncomfortable couch bed. Alex was still sleeping, her head resting on his shoulder, her arm draped over his stomach. Her shirt had ridden up in the back revealing tan wrapping tape; apparently, Michaela hadn't been the only one to hurt her ribs. Sighing, he pressed a kiss to her forehead before slowly getting out of the bed. He stretched his arms over his head and yawned.

"Mornin' brotha," a sleepy Leon said, walking into the small kitchen area. His hair was sticking up on one side and he looked half awake. "Your sister kicked me out. She wants to talk to you privately." Vince nodded once before disappearing into the room.

Leon headed over to the small sofa bed which Alex was currently stretched out across. "Move over," he grunted, nudging her thigh with his foot.

"Get your own bed," Alex muttered crankily in response.

"I got kicked out of my own bed!" he replied just as irritated.

She sighed and scooted over. "Fine."

Vince walked into the sunlit room and found his sister sitting up against the headboard, her casted foot propped up on some pillows. "Hey pretty girl," he greeted, dropping down onto the bed next to her. "How you feeling?"

"Guilty," Michaela answered honestly as she leant her head against his shoulder. "I should've listened to you, Vince."

"You never do," Vince said with a shake of his head. "Alex said you were being tailed by a _monster_ car."

Michaela fought the urge to laugh at how perplexed Vince sounded that someone could not know the name of a car. "It was a Hummer."

Vince smirked; it was typical of Alex to forget the name of one of the easiest cars to identify. "I'm gonna make that girl flash cards," he muttered to himself.

She let out a light laugh this time, wincing when the movement sent waves of pain through her aching body. "Ouch," she whined, elbowing him as though it was his fault she was hurting. "Stop making me laugh! It hurts!"

"Sorry," he said though he didn't see sorry at all. A few seconds passed by before Vince cleared his throat. "There's something more though. What are you hiding, Micks?"

She swallowed hard. She might as well bite the bullet and tell him everything now. He wouldn't hurt her, not with Leon and Alex in the other room. "I haven't been completely honest about my job," she started, biting her lip nervously.

He looked amused by her confession. "Really?" he asked a sarcasm she didn't understand lacing his words.

She ignored the sarcasm and continued. "I wasn't exactly a back up dancer like I told you," she started slowly. "I was more like…an exotic one…in a burlesque show." She winced after those words, closing her eyes in anticipation of his blow up. To her complete and utter surprise, he chuckled. She opened her eyes and stared at him, incredibly confused. "Why are you laughing? You should be pissed. I _lied_ to you."

"I knew."

"What?"

"I knew," he repeated, smiling now. "I knew the whole time you were in Vegas, Mickey."

"You knew," she parroted, dumbfounded. "But you…you never said anything!"

Vince sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Micks, when have you ever been able to keep anything from me? I knew the moment I left you there. Who do you think got Petey that body guard position?"

"Petey…_you_ know Petey?"

He nodded. "Petey's an old friend of Dad's. At the time, he needed work and since _I _couldn't take the bodyguard position…I thought Pete would be good at it."

Michaela's head was reeling. Petey, the man who had been the closest thing she had to a father in Vegas, the man who looked after her, who made her the godmother of his little girl, _that _Petey had known her own _father_? "Petey knew _Dad_? How come he never said anything?"

"Yeah, they grew up together. He wasn't supposed to say anything. That's what he was getting paid to do," Vince said trying his best not to laugh at how confused his sister looked. "I wanted you to grow into your own person and you couldn't do that if I was there breathing down your neck all the time. I just wanted you to be safe, so I sent Petey. I'm surprised you're not pissed that I had someone tailing you."

She laughed, still in shock, and shook her head. "I probably would be if you were mad at me right now."

"I was when you first left. I couldn't believe you thought you had to lie to me about your job," he answered honestly. "I got over it though. It wasn't easy, but I did. It helped that Petey updated me almost daily and I got to see the show."

Her face blanched slightly as her jaw dropped. "You _saw_ the show! Are you serious?"

Vince grimaced and nodded. "Believe me, I hated every minute of it, but I wanted to make sure it wasn't too…"

"Slutty?" she put in.

"Yeah, pretty much."

She grinned. "What'd you think?"

"It wasn't too bad, I guess. To be honest, I didn't stay too long. I felt like a perv watching you dance like that."

She laughed loudly before scowling at him. "What did I say about making me laugh?"

"Sorry. I guess I'm just a funny guy," he said shrugging his shoulders innocently.

Michaela rolled her eyes at him and let out a long sigh. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Her brother had known the whole time and hadn't said one word, hadn't once yelled at her or told her to be careful; nothing. He'd trusted her to make her own decisions. He'd let her go. "You're the best, V. I love you."

He nodded, but didn't say it back. He didn't have to. His actions had been enough to prove how much he loved his little sister. "Yeah, yeah. Just don't lie to me again, all right?"

"I won't. Pinky promise," she agreed, holding out her pinky to him.

He smirked at the move. Before she left the first time, they'd sealed every deal with a pinky promise. Since she'd been gone, he'd forgotten about their sacred pinky promises. "Pinky promise," he replied, hooking his pinky around hers.

"Now tell me about Alex," she said, a knowing grin on her face.

* * *

So? What'd you think?

This story is almost done buuuut I have a partially written sequel that follows the story line of _The Fast and the Furious_. Its more centered on Vince and Alex but of course there's a ton of Mickey and Leon love in there too...and some Dotty because I love them too... ;) Would you guys be interested in reading that? Or should I just end this story?

Also, out of pure curiosity...Do you guys have specific actresses you picture when you read about Mickey and Alex? I have a few for each and I'm curious to see if any of mine match up with any of yours... ;)

Thanks again for taking time to read this and to review it (if you do). You guys are amazing!

~LoveInk


	35. Sibling Relations

Thanks for your great reviews! :) Keep them coming please!

Sorry it took me so long to upload! This one is short and another one should be coming up soon!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Mickey and Alex :)

* * *

**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 35: Sibling Relations_

**By: LoveInk**

"So you're dating now?" Leon clarified paying more attention to the TV than to Alex.

Alex shrugged a shoulder. She was lying on the couch, her head propped up against Leon's thigh, a bowl of Lucky Charms resting on her stomach. "We agreed not to see other people."

"So you're his girlfriend," he clarified.

"I don't know. Am I?"

He lifted a shoulder; he really wasn't sure what Vince was thinking when he told her he didn't want her seeing other people. "He called you his girlfriend," he told her nonchalantly.

"What?" Her eyes left the TV to stare up at him, her green eyes filled with hope as they scrutinized his face for any trace of a lie. "When was this?"

"When we got to the hospital," he explained. "He gave the nurses your name and she asked his relationship to you and he said that you were his girlfriend."

"Oh," she said on a sigh. "He just needed to say that to get information."

Leon shook his head. "No. I could've easily claimed you were my sister to get information. In fact, I was about to when he opened his big mouth."

"Huh," she replied pensively. Was that where they were now? Was she officially his girlfriend? She liked the sound of it a lot more than she was willing to admit. "This show is absolute crap, by the way," she declared to change the subject.

"It's a hell of a lot better than the reality crap you watch."

"He's a talking _sponge _who lives in a _fruit_ under the sea. How the hell does that make any sense?"

"It makes more sense than watching a show where people just have sex and fight all the time. I can watch that at home whenever I want," he explained, nonchalantly grabbing a handful of cereal from her bowl and stuffing it into his mouth. "At least this is funny."

She threw a marshmallow up at him, giggling when it ended up in his hair. "I disagree. His voice is annoying."

"_You're_ voice is annoying," he shot back.

Alex stuck her tongue out at him. "Is _not_."

"Is too."

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

With Vince's help, Michaela hobbled out into the living room, unnoticed by the two people bickering on the couch. If it had been anyone else, Michaela would've felt extremely jealous of the position the two were in. They looked so comfortable with each other, like they'd done it a million times, but there was something in the way they were arguing that reminded her of the way she argued with Vince.

When Leon saw Michaela, he got up, letting Alex's head fall onto the cushion. "Is too," he finished, sticking his tongue out at her before heading towards his girlfriend.

"Is not!" Alex exclaimed, trying to sit up too quickly. She let out a cry of pain before lying back down. "Ow! Ow, ow, it hurts!" Vince quickly walked over to the couch. He grabbed her hands, helping her sit up before taking the seat Leon had left empty. She scooted closer to him, laying her head in the crook of his neck as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "Cracked ribs _hurt_!"

"I feel ya, sister," Michaela grumbled from her seat at the table. She grabbed one of the many mini-boxes of cereal. "Where did all these come from?"

Leon leant over her to grab another box, kissing her cheek as he did so. "We raided the free breakfast while you guys were talking."

"Yeah, he practically shoved the whole basket of cereals into his pants. Is that why you wear them so baggy, Lee? So you can steal things?" Alex teased.

"No, he wears them so loose so they're easier for me to pull off," Michaela shot back, tugging on his jeans with a naughty grin on her face.

Vince's hand dragged over his face as he tried to erase what his sister just said from his mind. "I didn't hear that," he muttered under his breath, shaking his head. "You guys talk to Dom?"

"You know, we were going to right after the accident, but then I told Alex we better call you guys first," Michaela replied sarcastically.

Vince and Leon both looked at Alex for an honest answer. She rolled her eyes. "_I _didn't call him. I don't even have his number," she answered frankly.

"I'll call him once we're on the road," Vince muttered already dreading the call. He knew Dom would be fine with it, but Mia was another story. He could already hear her shrieking angrily for being out of the loop.

Michaela nodded in agreement. "Sounds like the safest time. Lex, let's get changed and then we can head out."

Alex looked down at the simple dance outfit her brother-in-law had given her to change into at the hospital. "I'm dressed. I don't have any other clothes."

"C'mon, you can borrow my clothes," Michaela offered. "Plus, I need someone's help getting over there and getting dressed."

Leon held out his hand. "I'll help you out." A pillow hit him square in the back of the head and he turned to find Alex giggling and Vince holding another pillow, ready to throw. Obviously Vince was not happy with his offer. "Or I could not."

Alex stood up, ruffling Vince's hair lovingly before heading over to Michaela. "I better help you so we all can leave in one piece."

* * *

Disclaimer pt. 2: the sponge the lives in a fruit under the sea...belongs to Nickelodeon. :)

**So**...what do you think? Do you guys like Leon and Alex's relationship?

Only a few more chapters left! GAH! but worry not, the sequels already half written...if you still want it! hehe

as always PLEASE leave me a review! Good, bad, ugly, random, whatever you feel like, just let me know you're still enjoying it!

Thanks!

~LoveInk


	36. Good Guy, Bad Guy

New chapter! Only two or three more left in this story! gah! The sequel's being written and the more reviews I get on this story, the more I write of the second one! Are you readers still interested in one?

As always, your reviews (good, bad, ugly, pretty, etc) are greatly appreciated!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Mickey and Alex

* * *

**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 36: Good Guy, Bad Guy_

**By: LoveInk**

The car was silent save for the radio. Michaela and Alex were sleeping in the back seat, Michaela's casted foot resting on the center console between the front two seats. Vince was fighting to keep his eyes open, knowing it wasn't fair for him to sleep while Leon had to drive. He glanced over at his friend who was staring intently at the road, his elbow hanging out of the open window. His green eyes quickly flitted up to the rearview mirror, his hand coming up to angle it so he could see Michaela better.

"You really love her, don't you?" Vince stated, his voice low so as not to wake the girls.

Leon nodded, his eyes back on the road. He tightened his grip on the wheel, waiting for Vince to get angry, to lash out at him, something. "She's perfect."

Vince snorted derisively. "Let's not go too far, Lee. Michaela may be a lot of things, but she ain't perfect."

"She's perfect for me, I guess," he elaborated. "She's funny and adventurous. She gets me to do these crazy spontaneous things that just make my life better. _She_ makes my life better. She gets me, you know? We just…fit."

Vince let out a long sigh; it was a perfect answer. There's was nothing there that he could debate or say was superficial; Leon hadn't mentioned her physical features or made any dirty jokes. The other man had been completely honest with him. "She's also easy on the eyes."

"She's beautiful," he agreed on a laugh.

"You hurt her and so help me God, Lee…" he trailed off, leaving the threat hanging.

Leon let out a low chuckle. "V, she's more likely to hurt me than I am to _ever_ hurt her." He let that sink in as he grabbed a toothpick from his pocket. Placing it in his mouth, he looked up into the rearview mirror again before he said, "What's this thing you have with Alex? Because if you hurt her, I _will_ hurt you and I'm pretty sure Michaela will too."

"You, Mickey, Fisher, the list just keeps getting longer," Vince rattled off on a sigh. "Since when did you get so protective over her?" he questioned suspiciously. "You're not protective over Let or Mia."

He chewed on his toothpick for a minute contemplating going into the reason. He cleared his throat and said, "She reminds me of my sister."

"You have a sister?"

"Had," Leon corrected, his grip tightening on the steering wheel as memories filled his head. "Esperanza. She died a few months before I left Arizona."

_Esperanza._ The word was tattooed in cursive down Leon's side. Vince had always thought he'd gotten it because it meant 'hope' in Spanish, but it seemed he was wrong. He wondered if Michaela knew about her or if Dom or the girls knew, for that matter. Leon was a pretty private guy, though, and Mia wouldn't have kept a story like that a secret for long. "I'm sorry, man."

Leon cleared his throat, trying to push back the lump that had risen in it. "Yeah, me too. But Lex…she _looks_ like her and acts like her. I mean, it's like I get another chance or something."

Vince nodded in understanding. It made sense, and as long as Leon didn't cross the line, it was okay with him. In fact, he liked that he could trust Leon to look after her. "I'm not going to hurt her, Lee. Not on purpose anyway," Vince promised, his voice quiet. "I just don't know why she likes me. I mean, she could still be with that rich douche if she wanted. Why pick me?"

"Every girl loves a bad boy," he answered smoothly.

The answer didn't help Vince feel any more secure than before. He remembered what his mother used to tell him when he was young. "They love the bad boy, but they marry the good guy."

Leon's eyebrows skyrocketed up his forehead. _Marriage_. Had the Coyote really brought that up? What was he thinking? "A little soon to be talking about marriage don't you think?"

"I wasn't bein' specific," he muttered with a roll of his eyes. "It's something my Mom used to say."

Michaela, who had been awake for most of their conversation, fought against the urge to laugh. She had never and would never think of her brother as the "bad boy." Sure, he'd been to juvie and done stuff that was illegal, but underneath all that, he had a good heart. "What are you guys _talking_ about?" she asked, pretending she just woke up.

Both boys jumped a bit, Vince turned in his seat to make sure Alex wasn't awake too; she wasn't. The girl could sleep through anything. "How much did you hear?" he asked Michaela.

She shrugged a shoulder and yawned. "She doesn't see you as a bad boy, V," she stated simply.

"What?" Vince was a little surprised at the comment. How could she not see him as a bad boy? He had been told by more girls than he could count that he was the quintessential bad boy. From the tattoos, the messy hair, the beard, and the car…at least that's what they said. The fact that he'd done time was always correctly assumed as well.

"She doesn't. Think about it, bro. You met her at a _dance _studio with your sister, not at the races with the team. She's never seen you in a fight, never seen you angry, she hasn't seen that side of you."

He rolled his eyes at her, disbelief written across his face. "Give me a break, Mickey."

"_Want_ proof?" Michaela challenged before kicking Alex's thigh with her good foot. "Lex! Wake up!" she shouted.

Alex woke up, rubbing at her eyes tiredly. "What?" she whined tiredly.

"Do you see Vince as a 'bad boy'?" she asked, air-quoting the word 'bad boy.'

"_What_?" Alex repeated, still half-asleep.

"Yes or no? Do you think he's a bad boy?" Michaela pressed. Alex rolled her eyes and shook her head before closing her eyes again only to be hit again. "Audio confirmation, missy!"

"No!" Alex said her voice a little louder than necessary as she rubbed the spot on her thigh were Michaela had kicked her with a scowl. Now fully awake, she was curious where these questions were coming from. "Why would I think that?"

"The tattoos, the gross hair that he doesn't brush, the scruff, the jail record, pick a feature," Michaela rattled off.

"Jail record?" she repeated inquisitively.

Vince cringed, fighting the urge to smack his sister. It wasn't that he was hiding his stint in juvie from her, it had never come up. He didn't want Alex to think he was hiding something from her. Turning in his seat, he caught Alex's eyes. "Do you really want to know?"

"Only if it you killed someone or hurt someone," she answered simply. Her eyes told him she highly doubted that either of those was true and it was her way of giving him an out.

He shook his head. "Neither. And I don't plan on going to jail anytime soon either."

"So we can leave it at that," Alex said giving him a reassuring smile. "It's in the past. And his hair isn't gross," she finished, leaning forward and mussing Vince's soft hair gently. "Leon's hair is gross. It has all that gel in it."

"Hey! It is not!" Leon said indignantly. He ran his hand through his hair self-consciously which made Alex giggle. "Is it?"

Michaela stuck her tongue out at her friend. "No, it's not. Alex is crazy," she confirmed. "Are we almost there?"

"Yeah," Vince said before tossing his phone at her. "Call Mia."

"You call Mia," she said shoving it back at him.

He shook his head. "You lied to me. You call Mia."

"You hired a bodyguard!" she shot back.

Alex grabbed the phone from the fighting siblings. "Stop fighting! _I'll_ call Mia." She searched through his phone before she found the number for the fort. Letty answered the phone with a grunted 'hello,' it was nine in the morning, still early for her. "Hey Let, it's Alex."

"Shit girly, you four are in _so_ much trouble," Letty sang, a chuckle in her voice. "Mia's pissed. You wanna talk to her?"

"Well, after that introduction, no," Alex answered honestly. "But I guess I have to. Is she around?"

"Nah, she's at the store already. Why don't you tell me what happened and I'll tell her. That way you don't lose any hearing," Letty offered.

Alex sighed in relief. It was much easier talking to a grumpy Letty than an angry Mia. "So last night about an hour into our trip we were run off the road."

"Right, Jess told me," Letty said calmly. "He did not, however, tell Mia. What happened?"

"Some big monster car…"

"Hummer!" Michaela, Leon, and Vince corrected loud enough for Letty to hear. She laughed in response as Alex muttered a curse word under her breath.

"What-_ev-_er," Alex said with a roll of her eyes. "A big black _Hummer_ ran us off the road. We're both fine. Mickey's got a broken foot, I've got ten stitches in my hand, and we both got some bruised ribs. Vince and Leon are driving us back. We should be there soon."

"All right, Lex. Thanks for manning up and calling," Letty said knowing that more likely than not the others had fought over who was going to call. "Make sure Leon doesn't drive like a crazy person."

Alex laughed. "Is that even possible?" she asked as Leon made a sharp turn into a gas station.

"It was worth a shot," she answered on a chuckle. "See you soon, girl. Bye."

"Bye," Alex said hanging up the phone and getting out of the car. She walked up to Vince who was leaning against the car, watching the numbers on the meter while Leon and Mickey headed off to the bathroom. "That wasn't so difficult," she said handing him the small phone.

Vince smirked. "That's because you talked to Letty not Mia." He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into his chest.

She leaned into him like she always did, her ear pressed over his heart. She took in a deep breath, inhaling the smell of sweat and soap that was Vince. "Not true. I would've talked to Mia if she was around," she said, smiling when he squeezed her tighter against him. She reached up her arms and wrapped them around his neck.

He could tell what she wanted by the naughty grin on her face. "Oh yeah, Ms. Badass?" he teased.

"Yeah, Mr. Good guy," she shot back.

"I'll show you good guy," he muttered before catching her lips in a hot kiss.

* * *

What'd you think? **Please write me a review!** I really love hearing from you as readers! Tell me what you liked and didn't like! Favorite parts so far? Favorite characters so far? What can I do more of? Less of? THANKS! hehe

~Love Ink

P.S. Vin Diesel announced on his facebook that the Fast Five trailer will be out _NEXT MONTH!_ (Only to his fb "friends" so if you're not one, get on it! He posts amazing pics from the set including some with Vince in them!) Words cannot describe how excited I am for this movie!


	37. Candy and Secrets

Only one chapter left to go!

Are people still reading this? It says I have over 100 views yet only one review? Makes me a little sad…

but **Thank you, Bindie for reviewing**! I really appreciate it! I feel a little bittersweet about it ending too! But (given I get a little more love for this and the next chapter) I'll post the sequel which has a lot more of Michaela and Alex and the guys we love so much! :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Mickey and Alex

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**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 36: Candy and Secrets_

**By: LoveInk**

Leon chuckled as he watched Michaela maneuver around the small gas station shop on her crutches. She wasn't the most graceful person on crutches he'd ever seen, but she was definitely the hottest. She stopped in front of the candy and considered her choices. "Lee, what's your favorite candy?"

"I don't know. Gum?" he answered on a shrug.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "_Gum_. Gum isn't candy, Lee."

He picked up a pack of gum and shrugged. "Why not? It's sweet."

"But like candy, candy. Like chocolate or Skittles or something," she said gesturing to the brightly wrapped candies in front of her.

Leon took a step behind Michaela, nuzzling his face into her neck and kissing it softly. "I like this candy," he said, trailing kisses down her neck.

She smiled, reaching up a hand to scratch the back of his neck. "You better," she said, fighting back a moan as he nipped her neck. "Stop that," she chided, elbowing him playfully. "We're in public."

He chuckled and set his chin on her shoulder. "So what are you going to get?"

"These for Lex," she said, holding up a jelly beans, "M&Ms for Vince, and Starburst for me."

"You gonna share those?"

Michaela shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly. "I thought you only liked gum?" she teased, hobbling away from him and toward the cash register.

Leon shook his head at her as he paid for the candy. He grabbed the bag and together they headed back to the Skyline. Once the car came into view, Michaela stopped short, her nose wrinkling in disgust at the sight of her brother and Alex making out against the door. "Gross!" she exclaimed loud enough for them to hear. "Get a room!"

"I'm going to have to wash my car now," Leon mumbled under his breath.

Alex pulled away, her face flushed, eyes bright and dazed. "Sorry," she said with a grin that showed she was anything but. "We just got bored waiting for you guys."

Vince chuckled as he nodded in agreement. "Yeah. What took you so long?"

"Mickey couldn't decide what candy she wanted," Leon explained, opening passenger door for her since Vince had already gotten in the back with Alex.

"Whatever," Michaela said on a sigh as she got in the car. "Leon thinks gum is candy."

Alex scoffed, rolling her eyes at him. "Weirdo." Michaela tossed her the bag of jelly beans and she caught them easily. "Thanks."

"It really depends on the flavor," Vince commented pensively as he took the yellow bag of M&Ms Michaela offered. "I mean if it's fruity and sugary, it could be considered candy."

"Who chews fruity gum?" Leon questioned, his face disgusted. "That defeats the purpose."

"Then it's not candy," Vince concluded around a mouthful of candy.

"What if it's _in_ candy? Like those lollipops? Then it'd be candy, right?" Alex questioned as Leon pulled out of the gas station. She looked through the bag of jelly beans, picking out all the black ones and dropping them into Vince's awaiting palm.

Michaela fought the urge to giggle at the ridiculousness of the conversation. They continued discussing ridiculous topics like gum lollipops and Chuck Norris until they grew tired. Alex was the first one out, falling asleep with her head against Vince's thigh, her small body curled on the rest of the leather seat. Michaela felt her heart warm at the sight she saw in the rearview mirror. Vince was gently stroking Alex's hair as he continued talking, his touch tender and sweet and completely natural; Michaela doubted he even realized he was doing it. He nodded off soon after, his hand settled protectively over Alex's shoulder.

"They're kind of cute," Michaela commented, glancing over at Leon with a grin.

Leon shrugged a shoulder and nodded. "Sure."

"I heard what you said about your sister, Lee," Michaela stated softly. "How come you never told me about her?"

He cleared his throat, rubbing a hand over his side where his late sister's name was tattooed. "How much of that conversation did you hear?" he asked, hedging the question.

"Just the part about Alex and Esperanza. Was she your younger sister?"

He shook his head. "Twin."

"You're a twin?" Michaela said, her eyebrows raising in surprise. For a moment, all she could think about was having twin babies that looked exactly like Leon…maybe with her blue eyes too.

"Was," he corrected softly. He swallowed hard before continuing. "Essie was on her motorcycle driving home from work when a drunk driver swerved into her lane and hit her. She was in critical for awhile, but…it was just too much for her."

She reached out a hand to gently stroke his jaw. "Baby, I'm sorry."

"I left after that," he said, sniffing slightly. "The day after the funeral, I was gone. I couldn't handle being in that small town where everyone pitied me."

Michaela remembered the sadness she saw in Leon's eyes the day she met him. She'd always wondered about it, but now she understood; he'd been grieving the loss of his other half. "What was she like?"

He fished in his pocket and brought out his wallet. Taking his eyes off the road for a second, he picked out an old picture and handed it to her. "She was funny, smart, loved to mess around with the guys. She was always moving. You would've liked her, Princess. She was great."

Looking at the picture, Michaela could easily see why Alex reminded him of his sister. They had the same coloring, right down to the green eyes and a similar smile. Esperanza looked a bit taller and leaner, tougher than petite Alex. And the tattoos were definitely different. Leon's sister had half a sleeve on one arm and a full sleeve on the other. In the picture, she and Leon were both showing off the matching tattoos on their upper arms. "She's beautiful. The resemblance is uncanny."

"Right?" he said on a chuckle. "Jess doesn't see it, but he was obsessed with her so I'm not surprised. In his eyes, no one can ever top Essie."

"Did they have a thing? Essie and Jesse?" she asked, smiling at the rhyming names.

He shrugged a shoulder. "He was in love since the moment he saw her. They started dating a few months before the accident. He was crushed when she died."

"Is that why he never sticks with one girl?"

"I don't know. Maybe. Essie's hard to beat."

Michaela smiled, she could hear the pride in his voice. "Does Alex know?"

Leon grimaced slightly. He was really hoping Michaela wouldn't ask since he knew the answer was bound to get him in trouble. He nodded slowly. "She caught Jess and I staring and arguing so I had to explain. I didn't want to look like a creeper or anything."

Surprisingly enough, she laughed. It was a totally reasonable explanation. "I'm sure you did look like creepers! You two always do when you're whispering to each other."

"Gee, thanks Princess," he muttered giving her a mock hurt glare.

She leant over the center console and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "I love you despite all your creeper ways. Know that."

He chuckled, nodding at her, a smile turning up the corner of his lips. "I do."

* * *

Like I said, one more chapter to go! :) Please leave a review! Pretty please! :)

And if you have a facebook, check out Vin Diesel's page! He just posted the FAST FIVE trailer and it looks _good_!

~Love Ink


	38. Perfect Ending

Here is the ending of **The Blue Diamond**. I hope you enjoyed it and thanks so much for sticking with me! All your reviews have been so sweet and encouraging! :)

I will be posting the sequel as soon as come up with a title for it... ;)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Mickey and Alex

* * *

**The Blue Diamond**

_Chapter 38: Perfect Ending_

**By: LoveInk**

Michaela's stomach churned when the familiar white house came into view. As the Skyline pulled into the driveway, the smell of barbeque blew into the car through Vince's open window. "Oh look at that, a welcome home barbeque," Vince quipped sarcastically.

"Maybe it's a funeral pyre," Alex commented with a grimace.

As soon as Leon shut off the engine, Mia appeared at the top of the driveway, brown eyes flashing and hands on her hips. "Oh shit," Michaela muttered. "Alex, you go first."

Alex shrugged a shoulder, her hand reaching for the door. "What's the worst she could do?" she asked, looking back at Vince.

"I'll get it," he said on a sigh as he got out of the car to open the door for her.

He offered Alex his hand and the smile he got in return made that familiar warmth spread through his stomach. "Thanks big guy," she said, taking his hand. Once she was out of the car, Vince slung an arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her temple before the two of them headed up toward Mia.

Michaela narrowed her eyes at them. Mia was so excited to see them so…couple-y that she welcomed them with open arms before shoving them towards the table. "That is _so_ unfair," she commented with a scowl. It wasn't like she could play that card with Leon; Mia was already over their relationship.

"C'mon, Princess. You have to face her eventually," he said getting out of the car. He opened the door for Michaela and handed her the crutches as he tried to fight off a smile; Michaela was taking her sweet time getting out of the car. When she was finally out and balancing awkwardly on one foot, he helped her hobble slowly up the driveway towards her doom.

When she finally reached Mia, she gave her a small smile. "Hi Mia," she greeted, trying to play it cool.

"Really Mickey? You weren't going to call?" Mia asked, her voice loud and accusing.

Michaela looked down at her casted foot. "We called."

"No, _Alex_ called. She found some balls and called. That should've been you!" Mia shouted, her tone frustrated. "I was worried sick! Jesse gave us _no_ information other than that you guys were in the _hospital_! Do you know how frustrating that is?"

"I'm sorry."

"Let it go, Mia," Dominic's authoritative voice came from his place at the grill. "She's all right now. Just leave it."

For once, Michaela was thankful for Dom's intrusion. Mia, however, was not. "Why should I, Dom? She didn't even bother to call!"

"I think she had other things to worry about," he replied, his dark eyes falling on her cast. "So leave it be and sit down. Food's ready."

Mia glared at him briefly before giving in. "Fine," she muttered after a minute before throwing her arms around Michaela. "I'm just glad you're alive! I was worried sick!" she exclaimed with a relieved sigh.

Michaela laughed and hugged her back tightly, letting the crutches drop from underneath her arms. "I'm fine, I promise."

"Good," Mia said pulling away. She crouched down and picked up the crutches for her. "Now sit down so we can eat."

After giving Mia a sisterly peck on the cheek, Michaela hobbled over to the table, taking the seat between Leon and Vince. She glanced over at Alex who was locked in a cross-table heated glance with Vince, no doubt playing footsie with him under the table. Next to her, Jesse was eyeing the chicken Dom had just set at the table, licking his lips while he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. Letty sat down next to Vince, slapping him on the back, totally surprising him and making Mia, who was sitting on her other side giggle. Dom took his place at the head of the table and folded his hands together, patiently waiting for someone to grab the chicken. Leon shot one more hoop before setting the ball down and sitting at the other head of the table. He grabbed her hand in his before lifting it to his mouth and kissing it gently. She met his green eyes and smiled, this was home.

Feeling grateful, she reached in and grabbed a piece of chicken, ready to thank whoever it was that gave her this crazy family and the amazing man at her side. For once, everything was perfect.

_The End_

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So? What'd you think? Was it a good ending? Let me know!

The sequel will be set during "The Fast and The Furious" and be more centered around Vince and Alex's relationship. :)

I hope all of you have a Happy New Year and a great 2011!

~Love Ink


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